This page is part of my guide to anxiety therapy in Glasgow. If you’re looking for help, start there to see how I work, what a session is like and how to book a free consultation.
Everyone worries about their health now and then. A strange pain, a lump you hadn’t noticed, a headache that won’t shift. Usually the worry passes once you’ve had it checked or the symptom goes away.
With health anxiety, it doesn’t pass. The reassurance lasts a few hours, maybe a day, and then the worry comes back, often attached to something new. If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone, and it’s very treatable.
What is health anxiety?
Health anxiety is when worrying about being ill starts to take over your life. It used to be called hypochondria, but that word has picked up a lot of unfair baggage. People with health anxiety aren’t making anything up. The fear is real, and so are the physical sensations that come with it.
It isn’t the same as the physical effects of anxiety on your body, like a racing heart or tight chest, although the two often feed each other. I’ve written about those separately in Anxiety and My Physical Health.
Signs of health anxiety
The NHS describes health anxiety as when you:
- constantly worry about your health
- frequently check your body for signs of illness, like lumps, tingling or pain
- keep asking other people for reassurance that you’re not ill
- worry that a doctor or a test might have missed something
- spend a lot of time looking up health information online
Some people go the other way and avoid anything to do with health completely. They won’t watch a medical programme, skip appointments, or can’t bring themselves to check something that does need looking at. That’s health anxiety too.
And because anxiety causes real physical symptoms, like headaches, a racing heart, dizziness or tingling, the worry can create the very sensations that seem to prove something is wrong.
Why checking and reassurance keep it going
This is the part most people find surprising.
When you’re frightened about a symptom, checking it or getting reassurance brings relief. So it feels like the right thing to do. But the relief doesn’t last, and each time you check or ask, your mind learns that the only way to feel safe is to check again. Mind puts it simply: the things you do to check or avoid may feel helpful at first, but the relief often doesn’t last long.
Over time the loop gets tighter. More checking, more searching, more doctor’s appointments, and less and less peace of mind.
What causes health anxiety?
There isn’t one single cause. Mind notes it’s more likely if you’ve had a serious illness or a health scare yourself, seen someone close to you go through one, had difficult or traumatic experiences, or live with another anxiety problem.
In my work, I’m always interested in what sits underneath the worry. The fear might look like it’s about a headache or a mole, but it’s often connected to something bigger. A fear of losing control, of not being there for the people who depend on you, or of something going wrong that you didn’t see coming. When we can find that, the health worries usually lose a lot of their grip.
What can help on your own
The NHS suggests a few things you can try:
- Keep a note of how often you check your body or ask for reassurance, then try to gradually cut it down.
- Write down a worrying thought, and next to it write a more balanced way of looking at it.
- When you feel the urge to check, do something else that keeps you busy.
- Slowly get back into things you’ve been avoiding.
- Use breathing or relaxation exercises when the anxiety builds.
It also helps to put limits on searching symptoms online. Search results tend to show the worst possible explanation, which is rarely the most likely one.
When to see your GP
Health anxiety doesn’t mean every symptom is in your head. If you have a new symptom, or something that isn’t going away, get it checked.
It’s also worth speaking to your GP if the worry is stopping you living a normal life, or if self help isn’t working. Your GP can talk through treatment options with you, including medication if it’s appropriate.
Treatment for health anxiety
The treatment most often recommended is cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). It helps you notice the thoughts and habits that keep the worry going and gradually change them. In Scotland, you can refer yourself to Living Life, a free NHS 24 phone service offering CBT based support for anxiety. For a wider look at what’s available, I’ve written about your options for anxiety therapy in Glasgow.
CBT helps a lot of people, but not everyone. If you already know the worry doesn’t make sense and still can’t switch it off, that’s often where hypnotherapy can help. Rather than arguing with the fear, it works with the automatic response underneath it. If you want to know what the research says, I’ve looked at it in Does Hypnotherapy Work for Anxiety? An Honest Answer.
Most of the people I work with come for between two and four sessions, in person at my practice in Carmyle, Glasgow, or online.
Common questions
Is health anxiety the same as hypochondria?
It’s the same thing. Health anxiety is the term used now, partly because “hypochondriac” became a way of dismissing people whose fear is very real.
Can anxiety cause real physical symptoms?
Yes. Anxiety can cause headaches, a racing heart, dizziness, tingling and stomach problems, which is part of what makes health anxiety so convincing.
Should I stop going to the doctor?
No. If you have a new or ongoing symptom, get it checked. The aim is to stop repeatedly seeking reassurance for the same worry, not to ignore your health.
Can hypnotherapy help health anxiety?
It can help many people, especially when the fear feels automatic and doesn’t respond to logic. We’d talk it through in a free consultation first.
Book a free consultation
If worrying about your health is taking up more of your life than you’d like, you don’t have to keep managing it on your own. The first step is a free 20 minute consultation, in person, by phone or on Zoom.
You can read more about anxiety therapy in Glasgow and hypnotherapy, or book your free consultation now. You can also call 0141 340 9870.