Quick read
Key points
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Health anxiety, sometimes called hypochondria, involves persistent worry about having or developing a serious illness, often despite reassurance from doctors or normal test results. It can involve frequently checking the body for signs of illness, repeatedly seeking medical reassurance, or avoiding health-related information altogether out of fear.
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Topic-specific prevention and risk reduction will be added during the article-specific evidence audit.
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Worry about illness is persistent, distressing, or hard to control
01 · Know
What is Hypochondria (Health Anxiety)?
Health anxiety, sometimes called hypochondria, involves persistent worry about having or developing a serious illness, often despite reassurance from doctors or normal test results. It can involve frequently checking the body for signs of illness, repeatedly seeking medical reassurance, or avoiding health-related information altogether out of fear.
Health anxiety is a recognised and treatable condition, distinct from a specific physical illness. It responds well to talking therapy, particularly approaches that help address the underlying anxiety rather than repeatedly seeking reassurance about physical symptoms.
02 · Understand
Clinical context
Repeated reassurance often provides only short-term relief
Seeking frequent medical reassurance can feel helpful in the moment, but tends to reinforce health anxiety over time — addressing the anxiety itself through therapy tends to bring more lasting relief.
03 · Act
When to Seek Help
- 1Worry about illness is persistent, distressing, or hard to control
- 2You find yourself frequently checking your body or seeking medical reassurance
- 3Health anxiety is affecting your daily life, relationships, or work
- 4You avoid health information, appointments, or check-ups out of fear
04 · Prevent & manage
Practical steps
This Is a Recognised Anxiety Condition, Not a Reflection on Your Actual Health
Health anxiety is treatable in its own right — addressing the anxiety, with appropriate medical reassurance from your own GP as needed, tends to work better than repeated tests or searches.
- 1Limit checking behaviours and health-related searches.Reducing how often you check your body or search symptoms online can help break the cycle of reassurance-seeking.
- 2Speak to your GP about your anxiety directly.They can assess your physical health appropriately and discuss anxiety-focused treatment options.
- 3Consider CBT specifically for health anxiety.This has good evidence for helping people manage worry about illness effectively.
- 4Practice grounding and relaxation techniques.These can help manage anxious moments as they arise.
- 5Be patient with the process.Reducing health anxiety often takes consistent practice and support over time.
Evidence
References
BarnMD Health Intelligence uses authoritative and clinically relevant sources appropriate to the topic. References are shown so readers can inspect the evidence directly.
- HSE: Hypochondria - health anxiety ↗
Medical information notice
Health education, not individual medical advice
BarnMD Health Library provides general health education for public health literacy. Reading this article does not establish a doctor-patient relationship and this information is not a diagnosis, prescription, or personalised treatment plan. If you have symptoms or concerns about your health, seek appropriate advice from a qualified healthcare professional. If you develop emergency warning signs, seek urgent or emergency medical attention.
BarnMD Bottom Line
Health anxiety is a well-recognised, treatable condition, and therapy focused on the anxiety itself tends to bring lasting improvement.
Speaking honestly with your GP about anxiety, rather than only focusing on physical symptoms, is often the most helpful starting point.