Health Anxiety and Hypochondria are conditions characterized by an excessive worry about having a serious illness. Despite medical tests and reassurances from healthcare professionals, individuals with these conditions remain concerned about their health.This worry is not just about the general state of health but fixates on the belief that normal bodily sensations or minor symptoms are indicators of serious diseases. This can lead to significant distress and can interfere with everyday life.

Understanding Health Anxiety and Hypochondria

The persistence of health anxiety, despite reassurance from medical professionals, can be partly explained through a psychological mechanism similar to classical conditioning. For example, an individual might experience a benign physical sensation, like a heartbeat.If they associate that sensation with the fear of a heart attack, over time, just feeling their heartbeat can trigger significant anxiety about having a heart condition. This conditioning process means that the physical sensation becomes a conditioned stimulus, triggering a conditioned response (health anxiety).

The Psychological Mechanism Behind Health Anxiety

The internet and social media can have a profound impact on health anxiety. Easy access to a vast amount of health information can lead to "cyberchondria" where individuals interpret any information they find as confirmation of having a serious disease. This can worsen health anxiety, as the abundance of information can overwhelm and lead to misinterpretation.

The Impact of Internet and Social Media

Managing health anxiety involves several strategies, including cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), which helps individuals identify and challenge their anxiety-inducing thoughts and behaviors.Understanding the triggers of health anxiety, such as specific sensations or situations, and learning practical steps to manage anxiety, such as mindfulness and relaxation techniques, are also crucial. Reducing the time spent on researching symptoms online and setting boundaries around health-related information can also help manage health anxiety.

Strategies for Managing Health Anxiety

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Health Anxiety is specifically concerned with health and illness. Individuals with health anxiety obsess over bodily functions, minor anomalies, or symptoms, interpreting them as signs of serious medical conditions.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) involves a broader range of anxieties. People with GAD worry about a variety of issues, including health, but also finances, work, relationships, and other aspects of daily life. Physical symptoms of anxiety, such as restlessness or insomnia, are common in GAD, but the fear is not limited to health concerns.</li></ul>

Differences Between Health Anxiety and General Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

Individuals with health anxiety often engage in excessive research about health symptoms, a process that can exacerbate their fears. This is due to confirmation bias, where people tend to seek out information that confirms their beliefs, and ignore information that contradicts them.This selective information gathering reinforces their belief that their symptoms are indicative of serious illnesses, perpetuating the cycle of anxiety.

The Role of Research and Self-Diagnosis in Health Anxiety

I think this could be a useful video for those who are suffering from anxiety and would like to better understand why that is the case and how to help themselves.

This video is long, but it’s packed full of information. Here is a breakdown. I answer the following questions:
What does hypochondria/health anxiety look like?
What’s the difference between hypochondria and generalized anxiety disorder?
How do you get hypochondria?
Why don’t pills work for hypochondria?
What does CBT for hypochondria-health anxiety look like?
What is a self-help version of CBT for hypochondria?

With hypochondriasis, you misinterpret body sensations and assume you have a serious disease, even after you’ve been told you don’t. You may believe that the doctor missed something. You may even believe the anxiety you have will turn into something more serious like dying in your sleep or having a heart attack.

In 2013, the new edition of the diagnostic and statistical manual 5th edition changed the name from hypochondriasis to somatic symptom disorder. Somatic means body. Therefore, it’s a disorder of being over focused on body symptoms and having an illness. People who have this problem, know they have it because they are in a lot of distress. 

Self-talk script to use when you are triggered by a body sensation.
I have been checked out by my doctor, my new body symptoms does not mean I really have a medical illness. I have anxiety and this is what I tend to think,. Anxiety makes me believe I have something I don’t. I am not more of a medical expert than the people who have seen and examined lots of sick people. I don’t know what sick people look like, I only know what I look like. I don’t have a point of comparison to know what the illness I’m concerned about really looks like. The internet will not give me a complete picture of what it really looks like to have [fill in the blank with the illness you’re worried about. 

Disclaimer: All of the information on this channel is for educational purposes and not intended to be specific/personal medical advice from me to you. Watching the videos or getting answers to comments/question, does not establish a doctor-patient relationship. If you have your own doctor, perhaps these videos can help prepare you for your discussion with your doctor.

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I am a psychiatrist in Atlanta with over 20 years experience. This channel teaches you about mental health issues and self-improvement. Why? Because education empowers. You will learn about bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, attention deficit disorder, schizophrenia and more. I group the videos for these topics into playlists. Youtube allows you to save playlists to your library. If you are interested in only one topic, you can save the playlist and see when new videos on that topic are published.

Disclaimer -All of the information is for educational purposes and not intended to be specific/personal medical advice from me to you. If you have your own doctor, perhaps these videos can help prepare you for your discussion with your doctor.





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