Always Concerned about your health? You may have health anxiety disorder

Health anxiety disorder is a condition that causes healthy people to worry that they are not well—even when they have no symptoms, or minor symptoms of general illness.

By: Sudhakar Jha | | Published: August 19, 2018 9:59 am

Herbs for anxiety © Shutterstock

Are you one of those who spend hours on the Internet searching on different health conditions and relating them to yourself? When you get a scratchy throat do you automatically think about cancer—not a cold? And even when your tests come back showing that everything is fine, it doesn’t make you feel better. In the back of your mind you still feel like something is wrong. If you can relate to all these, it may be health anxiety disorder. Also Read - Suffering from PTSD? Brain training may help treat this condition

It is a condition that causes healthy people to worry that they are not well—even when they have no symptoms, or minor symptoms of general illness. It is a relatively common condition, known to affect some 4 per cent to 5 per cent people. But experts believe that it may be underreported, and the percentage could be closer to 12 per cent or even more. Also Read - Depression, stress may reduce efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines, scientists say

The symptoms Also Read - Workaholics more prone to depression, anxiety and sleep disorder

So how do you check if you are really sick, or just anxious about being ill? Here are some telltale signs

You have no symptoms, but still fear that you are sick.
You’re still nervous despite your doctor reassuring you that you don’t have an illness or tests show that you’re healthy.
You constantly seek health information online.
If you read a news story about a disease, you start worrying that you have it too.
Your worries about your health are interfering with your life, family, work, or hobbies and activities.

Treatment

The most important thing to know about health anxiety is that it’s a treatable issue. Statistics show that anxiety disorders, in general, are vastly undertreated. Only 37 per cent of people with anxiety disorders receive treatment, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. And it actually reflects the stigma related to these conditions, and with health anxiety, people may not actually pinpoint their symptoms to anxiety, but believe that they really are sick. And they may not even know that the treatment is available.

For people who are suffering from health anxiety, it’s not helpful to tell them that their symptoms are fake or it’s all in their head. It’s often more constructive to encourage them to look at what the worry is doing to their life.

Seeking an evaluation from a mental health professional is also one way to go about treating health anxiety disorder. It’s common for people with health anxiety to have other mental health conditions as well, such as depression, other types of anxiety disorders, or post-traumatic stress disorder. Treatment options include medications and psychotherapy, often in the form of talk therapy, which can help you manage and move past your worries. Ultimately, if you seek the help you’ll be able to overcome the constant anxiety.

Image source: Shutterstock

Published : August 19, 2018 9:59 am

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