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 4742 reviews and the average rating is 4.8 out of 5 stars.

Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"It's been going great"

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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!]

"Great service"

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"I'd never heard of this platform until my therapist moved here from Talkspace. I have found all of the value added worksheets, journals and the weekly (vs. monthly) live sessions to be both reasonably prices and hugely helpful. The platform works well and customer support is great."

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"The therapy I've been receiving has helped me a lot. It's been great to finally be able to talk to someone about mu issues and receive proper advice and insight"

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"I came to Therapy 5 weeks ago with a relationship problem that I had spent years without a solution for. I had tried therapy twice before to no avail, but after my first session with Gina, I knew I had found the right therapist to help me through my problem. First and foremost, she emphasized that the turmoil I was struggling with was not something to be ashamed of and assured me that we would work through it together. Gina came to each session with helpful insights and ended each session with thoughtful takeaways. Her responses to my worksheets were detailed, impactful, and encouraging. Gina helped me arrive at a solution that I am confident in, but more importantly, it's a decision that feels like my own. 10/10 would recommend."

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Rating: [3 out of 5 stars!]

"The information is sound and useful - however I don't want to be walked through the CBT method like I've never utilized it before (I myself am a therapist)."

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Rating: [4 out of 5 stars!]

"The therapy has been good so far! Lovely people and helpful worksheets :)"

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Rating: [4 out of 5 stars!]

"I have been seeing a little clearer and seeing myself in a different light. Though, I wont say I am healed and I am okay, I can still see the small steps and be happy with it."

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"I find Sarah Cooper is very helpful in keep in touch and follow up with me. I truly appreciate it. I find this getting my attention to remind myself that I need to adjust my anger management. She has been very professional lately. I'd like to stay with for the next session when I have my own spare time. Overall the online-therapy.com is worth it to help the reminders not to get my anger out of control. Thank you."

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