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 4793 reviews and the average rating is 4.8 out of 5 stars.

Rating: [4 out of 5 stars!]

"I’ve been very appreciative pf the services so far and I think the page works well and the CBT therapy has been working well for me. My therapist has been very considerate and has been offering good advice to me about my problems and has made me feel listened to. Would love an app, would make messaging slightly easier and more attainable than having to log in, that may be more of a personal barrier for me."

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"I think this is a good start into therapy. Especially as someone who has had a lot of trouble finding an available therapist. It can definitely be a good way to dive into who you are and why you are the way you are."

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"Very practical"

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"It is nice to be able to have therapy online whenever I need"

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"My experience so far has been very helpful. I like how you can dive into material that is provided, work on things yourself, and then discuss with the therapist. I also like how they have access to the worksheets and can send messages for clarification or to talk about during therapy."

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"Really happy with my therapist!"

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"Excellent experience, wonderful guidence, understanding exploring a new skill set."

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Rating: [4 out of 5 stars!]

"So far, after 3 sessions of our first ever couples therapy we are making big progress in organizing and making sense of our conflicts and where we don’t get along. However since I don’t have any prior experience to compare it to i cannot give 5 stars. What i can say is that my therapist has been great at listening to us and cutting through the noise to get to the root of things and begin mending the wound"

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"I began working with Steve on Online-Therapy.com and it's been a wonderful experience. It's great to have flexibility with my sessions and I've been feeling a lot better since I started."

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"Enjoying this platform a lot! I like my therapist and the different feature the website offers is great. There is an outlined plan you can complete with or without your therapist."

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