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You can stop living in fear of your own body
Health anxiety involves persistent worry that you are, or may become, seriously ill. Repeated symptom searching, checking, or reassurance seeking can maintain distress for some people. A GP or qualified mental-health professional can assess concerns and discuss suitable support.
General information, not medical advice
This page is for general information and does not diagnose, treat, or replace advice from a GP or other qualified health professional. If symptoms are new, severe, worsening, or you are worried about your safety, seek appropriate medical or urgent support.
Signs and symptoms
You might be experiencing health anxiety if you recognise any of the following:
- Persistent worry about having a serious illness despite medical reassurance
- Frequent checking of your body for signs of illness
- Repeated reassurance-seeking from doctors, family, or online sources
- Anxiety that temporarily reduces after reassurance, then quickly returns
- Misinterpreting normal body sensations as symptoms of serious disease
- Avoiding medical appointments for fear of bad news
- Health worries that significantly disrupt daily life
What causes health anxiety?
Health Anxiety is rarely caused by a single factor. Common contributing factors include:
- Previous serious illness in yourself or a close family member
- A misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis experience
- High levels of general anxiety or stress
- Perfectionist or control-oriented personality
- Exposure to health information that increases vigilance
How therapy can help
Therapy may help some people examine cycles of noticing sensations, interpreting them as threatening, seeking reassurance, feeling temporary relief, and becoming anxious again. Work may include reducing repeated checking and developing ways to tolerate uncertainty. Medical concerns should still be discussed with an appropriate health professional.
Therapeutic approaches we use
CBT for Health Anxiety
Addresses the cognitive distortions (e.g., 'if I feel this, it must be serious') and behaviours (reassurance-seeking, checking) that fuel health anxiety.
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)
Gradually reduces checking and reassurance-seeking behaviours, teaching your nervous system that uncertainty is tolerable and doesn't require action.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Helps you accept uncertainty about health as a normal part of life, and focus your energy on living fully rather than seeking impossible certainty.
Mindfulness
Builds awareness of anxious thoughts without automatically reacting to them, particularly useful for the constant body-monitoring that characterises health anxiety.
Frequently asked questions
Does health anxiety mean I'm making up my symptoms?
Health anxiety does not mean a person is deliberately inventing symptoms. A professional can help distinguish medical assessment needs from patterns of worry, checking, or interpretation that may be increasing distress.
Won't therapy stop me from noticing genuine health problems?
Therapy should not discourage appropriate medical care. It may help a person agree a proportionate plan for responding to symptoms while continuing to seek medical advice when needed.
Should I still see my GP?
If you have a new physical symptom that genuinely concerns you, always consult your GP. Therapy and appropriate medical care work together.
Is health anxiety linked to OCD?
Health anxiety and OCD can share features such as intrusive thoughts, checking, and reassurance seeking, but they are not interchangeable. A qualified professional can assess the pattern and discuss evidence-based options.
Content information and sources
Editorial status: Content checked against UK clinical guidance and NHS information. Reviewed . This is an editorial check; no named clinician is represented as having reviewed this page.
Authoritative UK sources relevant to this topic:
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