Overcome Health Anxiety with Online Therapy

Category: Health Anxiety Online Therapy | Last updated: September 20th, 2025 | Reviewed and approved by:
Dr. Steven Gans, MD
Dr. Elizabeth Lombardo, PhD

Are You Health Conscious or Health Anxious?

Almost every one of us gets concerned about our health and well-being. And that concern can motivate us to try to optimize our eating, sleep and to lead a healthy lifestyle. Being health conscious can be great. It helps a lot in leading a healthy, happy, successful and meaningful life.

However, problems arise when this health consciousness gets transformed into “health anxiousness”. If you become too obsessed about your health and if you get too apprehensive that you are suffering from a severe illness (without the presence of such medical symptoms), then you may be experiencing health anxiety. In the past, psychologists referred to this as “hypochondria”. However, it is now called Illness Anxiety Disorder.

Illness Anxiety Disorder is a somatic symptom disorder in which the person suffering from it gets overly anxious or obsessed over his/her physical conditions. They see even a minor problem as an exaggerated severe illness. People suffering from Illness Anxiety Disorder often require continuous care, support and assurance from health service providers, family and acquaintances.

See if you recognize yourself in the symptoms of health anxiety:

Being preoccupied with having or developing a serious disease or health condition
Worrying that minor symptoms or body sensations mean you have a serious illness
Being easily alarmed about your health status
Finding little or no reassurance from doctor visits or negative test results
Worrying excessively about a specific medical condition or your risk of developing a medical condition because it runs in your family
Having so much distress about possible illnesses that it's hard for you to function
Repeatedly checking your body for signs of illness or disease
Frequently making medical appointments for reassurance — or avoiding medical care for fear of being diagnosed with a serious illness
Avoiding people, places or activities for fear of health risks
Constantly talking about your health and possible illnesses
Frequently searching the internet for causes of symptoms or possible illnesses

What’s more, people with Illness Anxiety Disorder can also experience additional mental health issues, such as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Clinical Depression, Anxiety, Panic Attacks, Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD).

Treatment Procedures

The good news is that Illness Anxiety Disorder can be treated. Effective methods of treatment include Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Exposure Therapy and support. You can receive these types of treatment here at Online Therapy.

Reviews

Our online therapy services have received 4099 reviews and the average rating is 4.8 out of 5 stars.

Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"Lisa was a wonderful therapist! She helped me feel confident in expressing myself and that I had a safe space during our sessions. My therapy primarily centered around my couples relationship issues which she provided wonderful guidance and self-exploration and balancing between where I could feel justified in areas and opening up my eyes to how I can improve myself."

()

Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"I really appreciated the format. The way I could work along at my own pace and yet had a therapist who would respond in a timely manner."

()

Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"online therapy is easy to schedule and find a therapist, with easy tools for communication"

()

Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"Quick response time, thoughtful and helpful tools and advice. My therapist truly is the best."

()

Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"I started in april and i found customer service has been so helpful and gets back to me right away when i have questions. i found Loree Mastel Marr she has been great for me. you have the options to change therapist if the one you have is not working out, but i didnt have that problem Loree Mastel Marr has already been so helpful to me."

()

Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"It’s good"

()

Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"I feel so much better already. The brilliant and supportive prompts and challenges from my Therapist have helped me to make changes that have immediately improved my wellbeing. So far, this is the perfect option for me and I am delighted with my progress."

()

Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"An amazing toolkit for self growth!"

()

Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"great and very helpful, helped me from a bad spot"

()

Rating: [4 out of 5 stars!]

"The initial worksheets were slightly long with several redundant questions, but my first live session was positive overall."

()

View all reviews »

Let us know what you think!

Have any questions?

Are you unsure of what program to choose or have any questions about our services? Check our FAQ to alleviate any concerns.