What Is Health Anxiety? Signs, Causes and How to Cope

Health anxiety is persistent, distressing worry about being seriously ill, or becoming ill, that takes over daily life. It is not the same as an occasional health worry: checking, seeking reassurance and avoiding health topics can form a cycle that keeps the worry going, but talking therapies and self-help steps can help break it.

Many people worry about their health from time to time, especially when they are unwell or waiting for test results. Health anxiety is different because the worry lasts a long time, takes up a lot of time and energy, and interferes with work, relationships and everyday life. Mind describes it as spending lots of time worrying about your health, and checking or avoiding things related to your health.

What is health anxiety?

Health anxiety is sometimes called illness anxiety disorder or, in older language, hypochondriasis. Mayo Clinic describes illness anxiety disorder as worrying excessively that you are, or may become, seriously ill. You may have no physical symptoms, or you may believe that normal body sensations or minor symptoms are signs of severe illness, even though a thorough medical examination has not revealed a serious condition.

Mind notes that health anxiety is not categorised as an anxiety disorder, but is thought to be more linked to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). That link matters because the pattern is often a loop: a worrying thought leads to checking or seeking reassurance, which brings brief relief, and then the worry returns — sometimes stronger.

Signs of health anxiety

Mind groups the signs into three main types: difficult thoughts and feelings, checking, and avoiding.

Difficult thoughts and feelings

• Spending lots of time thinking and worrying about your health, and feeling unable to stop
• Worrying that a symptom or change means you have a serious illness, and feeling very aware of your body
• Thinking of worst-case scenarios, or fearing that doctors or tests have missed something
• Feeling unable to cope with uncertainty, for example while waiting for test results
• Worrying about a previous illness coming back, or about things you did in the past harming your health

Checking behaviours

• Checking your body again and again for lumps, pain, tingling or numbness
• Repeatedly researching symptoms online, or asking friends, family or medical professionals for reassurance
• Asking doctors to double-check things you are worried about, or making frequent medical appointments
• Going over worries again and again in your mind, sometimes called rumination

Avoiding behaviours

• Avoiding or delaying medical appointments because you are scared they will find something serious
• Avoiding health information, television programmes or conversations about illness
• Avoiding physical activities, travel or other activities you worry could harm your health

Anxiety itself can also cause physical symptoms, such as headaches or a racing heartbeat. NHS advice on health anxiety points out that you may then mistake those anxiety symptoms for signs of illness, which can feed the cycle further.

What causes health anxiety?

There is no single cause. Mayo Clinic says the exact cause of illness anxiety disorder is not clear, but beliefs, family patterns and past experience may play a role. That includes finding it hard to tolerate uncertainty about body sensations, having parents who worried a lot about health, or having experienced serious illness in childhood.

Mind lists similar factors: having a chronic or ongoing health condition, a past health scare, difficulty trusting health services, another mental health problem such as OCD or anxiety, a very stressful event or trauma, or difficult childhood experiences such as bereavement or serious illness. Risk factors listed by Mayo Clinic include a time of major life stress, a threat of serious illness that turned out not to be serious, a history of childhood abuse, and excessive health-related internet use.

Health anxiety can also affect the people around you. Mayo Clinic notes that it may be associated with relationship or family problems, work difficulties and problems functioning in daily life, and that reassurance is not always helpful — sometimes it can make things worse.

How health anxiety differs from normal health worry

Occasional worry is understandable, especially when you are unwell, at higher risk of an illness, or waiting for results. Mind suggests it may be health anxiety if you have felt this way for several months or more, the worries take up lots of time, they cause great distress, they affect your daily life or relationships, you feel unable to control the checking, or the level of worry is out of proportion to your current health situation.

That distinction is not a diagnosis you should make on your own. If you are unsure, talk to a doctor or pharmacist, who can help you work out what support fits your situation.

What helps with health anxiety?

Small self-help steps

NHS advice suggests noting how often you check your body, ask for reassurance or look at health information, then trying to gradually reduce how often you do those things over a week. Other steps include challenging worrying thoughts by writing a more balanced thought alongside them, distracting yourself when the urge to check appears, and gradually returning to activities you have been avoiding, such as sport or socialising.

Mind suggests similar approaches: taking things step by step, thinking of alternative explanations for a symptom without needing to feel certain, delaying a worry until a set time rather than reacting at once, and practising sitting with uncertainty. Breathing exercises for stress and relaxation exercises can also help with the physical side of anxiety. NHS advice on anxiety, fear and panic also suggests talking about your feelings, regular exercise, a healthy diet with regular meals, and calming breathing exercises.

Be careful online. Mind warns that online health stories may not reflect common experiences, and that AI chatbots should not be used for medical advice or diagnosis suggestions, because they may agree with you and make worries worse.

Talking therapies and other support

If self-help is not working, or worries are preventing you from leading a normal life, NHS advice says to see a GP. A GP may refer you for a talking therapy such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), or offer a medicine for anxiety. In England, you can also refer yourself directly to an NHS talking therapies service without a GP referral.

Mind notes that treatments for health anxiety are often similar to those for anxiety, and may include self-help courses, talking therapies such as CBT or applied relaxation therapy, and medication. The first step is usually to talk to your GP, who can also check whether a physical symptom needs medical assessment.

Supporting someone with health anxiety

It can be frustrating when reassurance does not help, or when a loved one keeps seeking it. Mayo Clinic suggests encouraging them to consider a mental health referral to learn ways to cope, rather than repeatedly trying to reassure them yourself. Listening without judgement, and supporting them to keep appointments and daily routines, can help more than debating each symptom.

When to see a doctor

See a GP if your worries about your health are preventing you from leading a normal life, if self-help is not working, or if you have a new or changing physical symptom that has not been assessed. Because symptoms can be related to health problems, Mayo Clinic stresses the importance of being evaluated by a primary care provider if that has not already been done.

If you are struggling and need support now, visit Health Daily Advice: Get Help Now.

In an emergency call 911 (US), 999 (UK) or 112 (EU). If you feel you may act on thoughts of harming yourself, seek urgent help straight away and stay with someone you trust if you can.