It is not uncommon to be concerned with our own health and well-being. However, individuals who spend much of their time worrying that they have a chronic, serious or life-threatening illness may be experiencing health anxiety, also known as hypochondria. Individuals with hypochondria continuously worry about their health, so much so that they experience problems in many different aspects of their work, home and social lives. They may worry that they have a specific type of illness, even if a diagnosis hasn’t been made or they make assumptions based on certain symptoms that may not be related to any illness. Some of the symptoms of hypochondria include:
- Long term anxiety about health concerns (lasting at least 6 months)
- Interpreting symptoms in the body as being a serious illness or disease
- Frequent trips to the doctor, or to multiple doctors, to receive testing for the perceived illness
- Spending significant amounts of time researching possible diagnoses
- Continuously looking for signs/symptoms of illness or health problems
Treatments for Health Anxiety
Treatment for health anxiety may include medication, psychotherapy, or a combination of both. Research has shown that an effective therapeutic approach to health anxiety is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).
Additional Resources for Health Anxiety:
Canadian Psychological Association Factsheets:
http://www.cpa.ca/docs/File/Publications/FactSheets/PsychologyWorksFactSheet_HealthAnxiety.pdf
Psychology Today :
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/fighting-fear/201305/the-treatment-health-anxiety
Mount Sinai Hospital (New York):
http://www.mountsinai.org/patient-care/health-library/diseases-and-conditions/hypochondria
