Health Anxiety
What is Health Anxiety?
Health anxiety refers to persistent and distressing worry about having or developing a serious medical condition. It is recognised as a mental health condition and is considered part of the obsessive-compulsive spectrum.
People experiencing health anxiety may become preoccupied with specific health concerns, such as fears of cancer, heart disease, or other serious illnesses – even when medical reassurance has been provided. These worries can feel overwhelming and may lead to frequent checking, repeated reassurance-seeking, or avoiding health-related information altogether.
Psychological and Emotional Symptoms
People with health anxiety may experience:
- Ongoing worry about having or developing a serious illness
- Difficulty accepting reassurance from doctors or test results
- Strong belief that normal sensations (e.g. stomach aches, headaches, tingling) are signs of something serious
- Intrusive, time-consuming health-related thoughts (often hours each day)
- Heightened anxiety, fear, or dread about health
- Low mood, irritability, or depression linked to health concerns
- Misinterpreting physical sensations caused by anxiety as signs of illness
Behavioural Symptoms
- Frequently checking the body for signs of illness (e.g. lumps, changes, sensations)
- Repeatedly searching online for health information
- Seeking frequent reassurance from doctors, loved ones or online sources
- Avoiding medical appointments or health information due to fear
- Acting “as if ill” (e.g. avoiding exercise or activities out of fear it may worsen health
How We Can Help
We offer cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), a structured, evidence-based approach that helps you understand and manage the thoughts, feelings, and behaviours linked to health anxiety. CBT is the recommended first-line treatment and focuses on reducing unhelpful patterns that may unintentionally maintain anxiety.
Therapy may include cognitive restructuring to challenge unhelpful beliefs, behavioural experiments to test fears and build confidence, exposure response prevention (ERP), and learning coping strategies such as mindfulness to manage physical sensations.
Sessions are available in person or online, offering flexibility to suit your needs. Together, we’ll work towards reducing fear and worry so you can feel more confident and present in daily life.
Your Free Consultation
- 20-minute session by phone or online
- A friendly, informal chat at a time that suits you
- Brief discussion about your challenges and goals
- Overview of how evidence-based therapy could support you
- Time to ask any questions
- No pressure, just a chance to see if we’re the right fit
Our Approach
We understand that taking the first step towards therapy can feel daunting. That’s why we’re passionate about ensuring you feel heard, understood, and respected from the very start. Our approach is warm, down-to-earth, and rooted in evidence-based therapies designed to support meaningful, lasting change. You will be treated with compassion, respect, and discretion, with a focus on creating a supportive and comfortable experience.