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.
People with health anxiety may experience:
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.
Take the first step today. Book a free 15-minute consultation and we'll talk through what you're experiencing and how we can help — no commitment required.
