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 4328 reviews and the average rating is 4.8 out of 5 stars.

Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"I’ve been having a lot of food for thought and positive progression since my start!"

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Rating: [4 out of 5 stars!]

"I love this website and its services, It has really helped me in my time of need. My doctor has taken great care to understand my needs and to help me understand what I am going through. I hope more people take advantage of this service for their mental health."

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"The scheduling is super flexible and the service is great"

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"The course I went through has taught me the tools and techniques needed to successfully navigate my anxieties. I realize this is a life long journey and I need to be diligent in using the tools and to be honest with myself. The therapist I had for this education was fantastic. She was knowledgeable, caring and took the time to help me understand fully the steps and course material. I am thankful for her help and her ability to be non judge-mental and sympathetic to my issues. I realize everyone is different, this course helped me greatly."

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"Christa has been excellent"

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"I've been using Online-Therapy for almost two months now, and I work with Marisa, and I really enjoy working with her. She's great and incredibly helpful to me!"

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"well organized!"

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"I am really happy with the therapist me and my wife were paired with. I can tell she genuinely listens and cares and gives thoughtful suggestions"

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"I enjoy the active PC experience to work at my pace"

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"Marisa has been fantastic and the service has offered a streamlined way to book sessions and talk."

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