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 3293 reviews and the average rating is 4.8 out of 5 stars.

Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"I found online-therapy through an extensive internet search. online-therapy seemed to provide the services I wanted with consistant positive reviews, and the price was more competitive than some of the ones I had already heard about.

I signed up and was pleased t see I qualified for a temporary discount due to my financial situation.

My subscription includes one 45 min session with the therapist i was paired with, Karen Coupe (LPC). Our sessions have been helpful. She is kind and very easy to talk to, she listens to all I have to say, sifts through it all and offers suggestions, advice and even explinations as to what might be causing certin things. She asks additional questions additional questions to better understand and follows up on topics we discuss.

She responds to messages and worksheet entries in a very timely manner.
I use the worksheets and am catching up on the videos. I plan to start using the activities calendar and yoga as I get more involved in my therapy journey.

I am very happy with my decision to subscribe to online-therapy.

Video sessions work on my laptop and my cellphone.

Online-therapy sends me reminders for scheduled appointments and offers outlets for me to give feedback.

I am so happy I decided to start my journey with this program and can imagine a brighter future for the first time in a long time"

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"Shelly Clark is a beacon of hope! She always gave me a welcoming safe place to share, be heard and guided to cope and navigate effectively through life's ups and downs. She is down to earth, warm and knowledgeable.
I think we all want to have that friend or family member that we can come and talk to that knows just what to say and gives tuff love in a loving way that motivates. She is that person for me and I'm so grateful I had the opportunity to meet her. A real gem! Thank you Shelly!"

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"Good service. Very helpful"

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"Hoping this works great for me and my wife I don't wanna loose her"

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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!]

"My husband and I have had a great experience so far. I have had therapy in the past and this is his first time. It's really user friendly and the Dr. gets back to you quickly. I like that I can do it on Sundays."

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"My experience has been great. I've been using Online Therapy to supplement my mental health routine. I like that I can purchase a month of treatment at a time, such as around major holidays, or when my regular therapist is not feeling well. I use the texting live sessions and it's a great help for someone like me struggling with agoraphobia issues."

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"I have enjoyed the daily messages I have received from my therapist. She has lots of helpful thoughts and asks great questions to learn more about my situation. I've been pleased with my experience so far!"

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"I wasn’t a believer in therapy but I have found it very useful. Paul is always attentive and quick to be by in touch when I reached out."

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"Great therapy !"

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