Health anxiety is a common but often misunderstood condition. It can manifest as constant worry about one’s own health or the health of loved ones—even when actual medical tests show no serious problem.

Health anxiety (sometimes called “hypochondria” or “fear of illness”) is:

• Constant or recurring worry that one has or will develop a serious illness.
• This anxiety does not subside (or subsides only briefly), even when:
• the test results are good,
• the doctor says everything is fine.

With health anxiety, the focus is not only on the actual symptoms, but on their interpretation – “this must mean something terrible.” When we believe that something will happen to us, it easily feels like a real experience. So, if we feel like we’re gonna get sick, we usually take steps and start treatment. With health anxiety, people “treat” themselves by starting to avoid risky situations, certain events, even going outside, so they don’t get sick. Seen this way, health anxiety can totally change a person’s life.

Health anxiety has emotional, mental, physical, and behavioral manifestations.

Emotional symptoms

• Constant tension and fear that “something will happen.”
• Feelings of helplessness, guilt, or shame (“Everyone tells me I’m making it up”).
• Difficulty enjoying everyday life because thoughts of illness “linger in the background.”

Mental symptoms

Frequently “scanning” the body for new symptoms such as shortness of breath or heart palpitations, which immediately leads to a new thought, “I’m definitely going to have a heart attack”, and this thought puts our body into fight or flight mode, causing us to experience these symptoms even more intensely and creating a vicious circle.

Example of catastrophic thoughts:

• “I have a headache → it must be something fatal.”
• “My heart is beating faster → heart attack.”

Physical symptoms

Paradoxically, anxiety itself can cause:

• heart palpitations, shortness of breath, tightness in the chest;
• dizziness, “shaking” inside;
• stomach problems, nausea, fatigue;
• muscle tension, headache.

These feelings often fuel anxiety: “See, there really is something wrong,” and so the vicious circle continues.

Behavioral symptoms

• Frequent visits to various doctors and emergency rooms.
• Repeating tests without clear medical need.
• Or the opposite – avoiding checkups for fear of hearing bad news.
• Constantly asking loved ones: “Do you think this is normal?”
• Excessive searching for information on the Internet

The reasons are usually a combination, rather than a single factor.

• Personal or family experience (having had a serious illness; sudden loss related to a health issue; growing up in a family where illness, fears, and medical topics were often discussed)
• Stress and strain
• Tendency toward perfectionism and strong control – “if I know everything, I will be safe.”
• Increased sensitivity to bodily sensations – some people feel changes in their bodies more intensely.
• Excessive exposure to health news, stories about illnesses, social media, and forums.

It is very important to first realize that these anxieties affect our daily functioning. Then, recognizing the pattern and being highly aware that our thoughts and feelings may not be true to reality will provide a basis for treatment.

Pattern: physical sensation → thought “something fatal is happening to me” → panic → checking/searching the internet → temporary relief → new anxiety.

Simply recognizing this cycle is an important first step.

Restricting searches on the internet and in ChatGPT.

• Try to reduce endless searches for symptoms online.
• Make a deal with yourself: if you have concerns, first write down what you are feeling, then discuss it with a trusted doctor, instead of scouring dozens of websites.

Working with a psychotherapist

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and other proven approaches help to:

• recognize catastrophic thoughts;
• you train new reactions;
• reduce the need for constant checking.

Support from loved ones

Tell someone you trust that you tend to worry about your health. Talk about what is bothering you and explain that sometimes their reassurance can fuel the belief that there is a serious problem, but on the other hand, it is good for them to validate that what you are experiencing is a real fear and that you need support and understanding.

It is important to mention that sometimes, even when these symptoms are present, the underlying problem may not be related to disease. Each person is different, and therefore a personalized approach to the individual is needed, rather than a diagnosis.