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 3300 reviews and the average rating is 4.8 out of 5 stars.

Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"Our therapist has been amazing!"

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"I have found a lot of value in how the worksheets have been directing my thoughts. My therapist has been commenting and giving me tips from the worksheets too and I have seen drastic improvements in the way I think and my energy overall! The journal is nice to have since its not mandatory but it is nice to keep track of my day and be grateful for the things I did during the day!"

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"The counselor that we were paired with has been one like no other. This is our 3rd platform, attempting marriage counseling and I can honestly say that it is the only one that has led us to meeting a counselor that put in the work and effort for us. Sessions don't consist of silence and awkward chat, they consist of structured conversations surrounding real life issues between our marriage to actually work on."

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Rating: [4 out of 5 stars!]

"I've felt the curriculum has been very helpful for me to work through and reflect on my own time. The structured nature and step by step process makes it easier to tackle bigger feelings by breaking it down."

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"Actually have a therapist who challenges me and helps me think outside the box."

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"Have only had 2 sessions, but it's been a positive experience so far."

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"Worth it."

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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!]

"This was a fantastic program that helped me learn a lot of things about myself and why I was neglecting issues that were causing problems in my life. My therapist Steffani was absolutely awesome. She worked with me to help ME work out the issues with a really amazing combination of insight, empathy and the right dose of firmness. The content and exercises were almost all valuable to me. Even though I had a very specific issue going on, which made some of the content not applicable to me, just seeing it helped me challenge myself on many different areas I had not even considered. I highly recommend this service for a concentrated 4-week program to get the train back on track. I feel like I have the tools now to keep it there."

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"Beth is fantastic at counseling. She truly cares and will be there for you. She makes me feel comfortable to tell her anything. I have gone to a lot of counselors and she is head and shoulders above most of them. Her experience shows. She will hold you accountable but in a kind way. Overall great experience and I look forward to continuing to grow as a person with her help."

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