Overcome Health Anxiety with Online Therapy

Category: Health anxiety | Last updated: October 18th, 2018 | 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 533 reviews and the average rating is 4.6 out of 5 stars.

Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"Maggie has been very supportive"

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"I had my first chat with my Therapist on Wednesday and I found it very beneficial and motivating. I'm liking the service so far, quick responses from my therapist and the material makes me think but not stress."

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"My therapy was successful."

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"Working with the therapist has been great and very helpful!"

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"I have found the online therapy to be highly effective, convenient and helpful. I greatly appreciate the personalized comments from my online therapist, which help me navigate the steps and activities. I highly recommend online-therapy.com!"

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"I really like the format of this program, because I can do my therapy at home in the evenings. I was skeptical at first, but I was in a really bad place in life, and was desperate to try something. I have been in "talk-therapy" in the past with a psychologist or social worker, but this is really different.

The worksheets have been helpful in sorting out my thoughts, and figuring out how to actually make changes in my life, instead of just talking about it. My therapist, Maggie, has been very helpful by helping me realize that if I don't have a plan and take active steps to feel better, then things will just stay the same. Then, ultimately I will just continue down the same path and remain unhappy.

She challenges me by asking tough questions, which helps me see things from a different perspective. I feel encouraged that if I stick with the program, I can break my negative patterns, and live a more balanced life. I have hope that I can use my new skills to repair the damaged relationships in my life. I can learn to reach out to people."

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"I started this about one month ago. The material is well written and easy to respond to. m
The therapist responds to my entries promptly and refers me to additional resources.
I like working at my own pace.
Thank you"

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"Information very complete."

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"I love the service online therapy has provided to me so far. My therapist has helped me a lot and I can see the difference so clearly."

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"Yes very helpful"

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