HEALTH ANXIETY

 

Linda Atkinson worked for world leaders in the treatment of health anxiety including Professor Paul Salkovskis and Dr David Veale while living and working in the UK for 10 years.  If you are interesting in receiving CBT for health anxiety please do not hesitate to contact Linda for an appointment.

 

Health Anxiety used to be known as hypochondriasis.  Health anxiety occurs when a person becomes excessively preoccupied with having, or developing a serious physical illness.

 

For most of us the worry about health is soon replaced by another thought or our health concerns are quickly reassured by comments from a family member or G.P. However, for people with health anxiety this does not happen. They continue to feel preoccupied with having a serious illness such as cancer or brain damage for months or years. 

 

This preoccupation with health occurs because people with health anxiety show a tendency to interpret normal body sensations as a sign of a serious physical illness.  For example, fatigue might be interpreted as a sign of cancer, headache as a sign of brain tumor, or breast tenderness as breast cancer.

 

There is also a tendency for people with health  anxiety to believe that unless they are are 100% certain that they are well, they should do something to become more certain. The need for certainty leads people to engage in all sorts of behaviours. For example, repeatedly checking and pressing body parts, being on the look out for variations in body sensations, seeking second opinions, repeatedly visiting G.Ps, scanning the internet 24/7, reading medical books, reducing their levels of physical activity, and avoiding situations that they perceive to trigger the health problem. 

 

Health anxiety can be helped with cognitive behavioural treatment (CBT). CBT involves helping the individual to consider the possibility that seeking 100% certainty might in fact be like trying to dig yourself out of a hole. That is, seeking 100% certainty makes worry and pre-occuapation with health worse rather than better. CBT helps the individual to identify and challenge behaviours and thinking styles that might make symptoms feel worse which in turn keeps their preoccupation with health anxiety going.  

 

If you are interested in reading about CBT for health anxiety please click the following link. This book would be an excellent companion to treatment with Linda Atkinson. 

 

More those of you who are interested in scientific articles on health anxiety please click here