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 3286 reviews and the average rating is 4.8 out of 5 stars.

Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"I feel April is very dedicated and brings up issues that we as couple therapy are there for. She gives each of us fair time to share and interact. Looking at all issues from the outside in."

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"So far, it's been great and I'm looking forward to continuing my therapy sessions with Katalin."

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"Our therapist has been amazing!"

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"I was not happy with the first therapist I was matched to as she was too busy and I felt I wasn't getting enough support. Then I read about Dr. Peter Sacco and switched over to him. The process was easy and he is really good at what he does! He listens and more importantly has the insight and experience to come up with solutions to my issues with procrastination and other issues. He has written books on these topics and has done extensive research and knows what he is doing. Highly recommend him for anybody struggling with professional or addiction issues!"

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"good"

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"It is a very interactive website with genuine and caring psychologists."

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"So far, so good! I'm really hoping my therapist can help me. Also, the costs for this program are a lot better than others online, so that was a plus."

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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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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"I wish I had started therapy long ago as since I started it’s made me such a happier person. My therapist is the best and he makes me feel safe and comfortable which allows me to be open."

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"I appreciate how my therapist consistently provides me positive feedback. I’ve been seeing her for 4 months now on a weekly basis. She never fails to provide a summary of last weeks discussion and provides tools for our upcoming sessions"

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