Online Therapy for Health Anxiety

Category: Health Anxiety Online Therapy | Last updated: March 11th, 2026 | Medically reviewed 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).

Approaches That Can Help with Health Anxiety

The good news is that health anxiety can improve with the right support and practical strategies. One of the most commonly used approaches for health anxiety is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thought patterns and behaviors that reinforce anxiety.

CBT often includes techniques such as cognitive restructuring, gradual exposure to feared situations, and learning healthier ways to respond to bodily sensations and health-related worries. These approaches can help reduce the cycle of constant reassurance seeking, symptom checking, and excessive worry.

Through our online therapy program, you can work on health anxiety using structured CBT tools together with therapist guidance through messaging and live sessions. Over time, many people learn to manage their health concerns more effectively and regain a greater sense of balance in their daily lives.

Reviews

Our online therapy services have received 4828 reviews and the average rating is 4.8 out of 5 stars.

Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"Convenient to book, easy to connect with a counsellor and just talk. Worth it."

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"I was hesitant to start therapy online, but I decided to give it a go and I'm absolutely in love with the experience. The website is very well put together, I particuarly enjoy the text exchange with my therapist (Who is beyond amazing at her work), I feel like thise medium of communication allows me to really dive deep into my thoughts and feelings, and the live sessions become an exciting, supportive part of the process rather than me trying to fit all the complexity of my world into a 45 min weekly session.

100% recommend, I myself will keep using the service for as long as I can afford it (and it is very affordable, especially for the ammount of help I'm getting out of it)."

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Rating: [4 out of 5 stars!]

"A little slow but not bad it helps a little bit to talk to someone"

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Rating: [4 out of 5 stars!]

"Great user-friendly platform and support"

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Rating: [4 out of 5 stars!]

"This is a really good therapy experience for journaling and keeping on top of things. I struggle to do so, but they make it very welcoming and easy."

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"I appreciate how the worksheets ask valuable questions and the responses I get from my therapist in addition to the sessions we have. However I think it would be useful to have options for answering the questions more times in order to bring up other topics. I have also enjoyed the support I receive from my therapist during our sessions."

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"Great therapy very professional and understanding!"

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"Love the support I am getting."

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"very very very helpful so far
asking the right questions
I've been really happy with OnlineTherapy.com. Getting matched with a therapist was quick and easy, and the interactions have genuinely helped me work through what I was struggling with. Being able to message my therapist and fit appointments around my schedule made a huge difference — it felt way more accessible than in-person therapy. Highly recommend if you're looking for flexible, quality support.""

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Rating: [4 out of 5 stars!]

"I’m loving how my therapist responds to my worksheets constantly and everything she says to me"

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