Overcome Health Anxiety with Online Therapy

Category: Health Anxiety Online Therapy | Last updated: February 1st, 2022 | Reviewed and approved by:
Dr. Steven Gans, MD
Dr. Elizabeth Lombardo, PhD

Are You Health Conscious or Health Anxious?

Almost every one of us gets concerned about our health and well-being. And that concern can motivate us to try to optimize our eating, sleep and to lead a healthy lifestyle. Being health conscious can be great. It helps a lot in leading a healthy, happy, successful and meaningful life.

However, problems arise when this health consciousness gets transformed into “health anxiousness”. If you become too obsessed about your health and if you get too apprehensive that you are suffering from a severe illness (without the presence of such medical symptoms), then you may be experiencing health anxiety. In the past, psychologists referred to this as “hypochondria”. However, it is now called Illness Anxiety Disorder.

Illness Anxiety Disorder is a somatic symptom disorder in which the person suffering from it gets overly anxious or obsessed over his/her physical conditions. They see even a minor problem as an exaggerated severe illness. People suffering from Illness Anxiety Disorder often require continuous care, support and assurance from health service providers, family and acquaintances.

See if you recognize yourself in the symptoms of health anxiety:

Being preoccupied with having or developing a serious disease or health condition
Worrying that minor symptoms or body sensations mean you have a serious illness
Being easily alarmed about your health status
Finding little or no reassurance from doctor visits or negative test results
Worrying excessively about a specific medical condition or your risk of developing a medical condition because it runs in your family
Having so much distress about possible illnesses that it's hard for you to function
Repeatedly checking your body for signs of illness or disease
Frequently making medical appointments for reassurance — or avoiding medical care for fear of being diagnosed with a serious illness
Avoiding people, places or activities for fear of health risks
Constantly talking about your health and possible illnesses
Frequently searching the internet for causes of symptoms or possible illnesses

What’s more, people with Illness Anxiety Disorder can also experience additional mental health issues, such as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Clinical Depression, Anxiety, Panic Attacks, Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD).

Treatment Procedures

The good news is that Illness Anxiety Disorder can be treated. Effective methods of treatment include Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Exposure Therapy and support. You can receive these types of treatment here at Online Therapy.

Reviews

Our online therapy services have received 3287 reviews and the average rating is 4.8 out of 5 stars.

Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"Great so far"

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"Wonderfully responsive"

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"The technology is easy to use. The structured content is very helpful and so are the live therapy sessions. I’m pleased with the results so far."

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"I love the format. I feel like the worksheets gave my therapist and I opportunities to become familiar and established context and understanding before we ever had our first session."

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"I have been doing online therapy for 2 weeks now. I am already noticing that I am more aware of how I am feeling, and I have addressed more tough situations than I have before. I am also process past issues with and without the help of my online therapist. If you are considering starting I would highly recommend it for everyone. If you don't notice any change you can always cancel. Admitting you have a problem is the first step to a better you! Simply by looking at reviews for therapy services you are taking the first steps to becoming a better you."

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"The platform is simple and easy to use, one thing that stands out is the worksheets provided by your website.

My therapist is absolutely fantastic! She is professional and personable at the same time. Rather than a therapist-client relationship, I feel we're more on equal footing as people that have had lived-in experiences and are on this weird and wonderful journey called life. Overall would definitely recommend to anyone that's a bit hesitant to try out the services provided here."

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"great counsellor"

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"My therapist Shelly is great and very helpful"

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"I really enjoy my therapy sessions. They are helping me so much in many aspects of my life"

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"I would recommend this service to anyone. My therapist has been kind and considerate and never made me feel like I can't share. At the same time there's no pressure and she has enabled to deal with situations effectively. From dealing with anxiety to how to process others in my life. You can take your time and choose to share the level of deal you want. You don't ever feel judged, only supported no matter the issues spoken about. Some people find services like this as negative, but I also share when days as positive so we can find the route to creating less negative days. Highly recommended."

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