Health anxiety is a persistent and unreasonable fear of having an existing serious medical condition. It is also known as hypochondriasis and used to be known as illness fear. This condition is characterised by an individual’s constant imagination of various physical symptoms associated with a particular condition. These symptoms can include a fear of having cancer or heart problems, of dying or losing body weight, or even having some sort of breakdown. Most health anxiety sufferers are diagnosed with social anxiety disorder at some point in their lives.
The reason for health anxiety is not really well understood. It has been postulated that individuals who worry excessively about health conditions have a genetic predisposition to developing such conditions themselves. People who are prone to worry are also more prone to social anxiety and suffer from greater levels of social anxiety than those who do not worry at all. Health anxiety can also be caused by high levels of stress in the sufferer’s life. Stress can make us feel helpless and unable to cope with life’s difficulties and can therefore lead to depression and anxiety.
Health anxiety can be debilitating and difficult to treat. It often stems from fear of having a serious illness such as cancer, heart disease or diabetes. These illnesses are often perceived as an inevitable next stage in life, when we get older and cannot do much to prevent them. Health anxiety then develops and manifests itself in a variety of symptoms, such as unrealistic concerns about weight, breathlessness, dizziness, chest pain, headaches, nausea and stomach upsets. In more severe cases, these symptoms can lead to depression, low self-esteem and other emotional disorders.
Health anxiety can also develop around other common health conditions such as cardiac problems, asthma, migraine attacks and back pain. It can develop even if you are perfectly healthy, although this is less likely to happen. The symptoms can include extreme fear about experiencing a particular physical sensation (for example, about urinating) in an area that is usually associated with safety. Physical sensations can be triggered by both actual and imagined touch, smell or sound. This can lead to feelings of panic, anxiety and embarrassment, sometimes leading to avoidance of these sensations altogether. In more severe cases, health anxiety may lead to self-induced isolation, causing the person suffering from it to avoid social contact, which further exacerbates the problem.
The precise cause of health anxiety is not known, but it is believed to result from the ‘fight or flight’ response system that operates in our bodies when faced with a dangerous situation. When our body senses that we are in real danger, a series of physical sensations begin, including accelerated heart rate, sweating, shallow breathing and a variety of other sensations. Over time, these symptoms can build up over time and become increasingly uncomfortable. They can also trigger our immune system to increase its defenses so as to fight off the invaders.
One way of treating health anxiety is called cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). This form of psychotherapy is based on the belief that our thoughts can affect our physical well being, and that our thoughts can also be turned into a positive outcome. CBT is often used in conjunction with other forms of psychotherapy to help patients reduce their levels of stress and manage their panic attacks. CBT is a highly successful form of psychological treatment, but it does require repeated sessions for the benefits to become apparent. In addition, CBT can be expensive and is only available on a short term basis for those who can afford it.
Another way of managing anxiety and panic is called exposure treatment. This involves staying in a place for a set amount of time (a few minutes) while checking if physical sensations trigger anxiety and panic attacks. For instance, if someone checks their pulse with a finger in their mouth and finds it hard to breathe, they will be exposed to this sensation and may experience an anxiety attack. During this period of exposure, the patient will be monitored by their therapist to watch for any physical sensations that may trigger another episode of anxiety. If the therapist discovers none, they are then treated to avoid a repeat of the ailment.
The health care provider may then use a combination of these methods in order to effectively treat the condition. The patient should be closely monitored during their CBT sessions, especially in the early stages in order to prevent the recurrence of symptoms. Anxiety and panic symptoms are very treatable, especially when using cognitive behavioral therapy. Once the problem has been identified and addressed, patients can begin receiving counseling in order to re-teach themselves how to maintain optimal social situations and keep calm when under increased stress. Regardless of the type of psychotherapy used, it is imperative that the patient fully believes that their illness can be successfully treated and overcome.
