Overcome Health Anxiety with Online Therapy

Category: Health Anxiety Online Therapy | Last updated: February 1st, 2022 | 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 3572 reviews and the average rating is 4.8 out of 5 stars.

Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"Found a great therapist here :)"

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"My therapist allowed me to give myself grace with how my mind works."

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"Easy website to use and good therapist."

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"I am a busy mom in middle management. Any time I take for therapy during business and mom hours makes me feel like I’m taking away time from the people that depend on me. That’s probably why I need it! But, also, online therapy allows me to work on me during downtimes that my kids are asleep and business is shut down. It’s how I wind down from a busy day and grow into a person who is working, living, AND healing. There’s no traffic or struggle to find a therapist who is close to work or home who also has open appointments that match my schedule. My therapist cares and helps me find the spaces in my head and life that need self care and emotional healing. This has really set me on a path of self discovery and continued focus on taking care of myself first so that I can be more present and enjoy my family."

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"Great support!!!"

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"Online-therapy.com allowed me to get immediately connected with a provider to get myself back in the right direction for my life. I like that it is a subscription service that I can cancel whenever I feel I am ready and come back if necessary. The worksheets helped me to realign my thoughts and decide what matters most."

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"I was under the impression that talk therapy wasn't for me but this was until I met my current counsellor who is amazing at what she does and who embodies empowerment and inspiration."

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"I have been very fortunate to find such a supportive and empathetic therapist as Dr Vicki. Her exercises, interaction via chat, email and video are extremely empowering. She puts a lot of emphasis on being there for her patients, which I really loved and am grateful for. She has really helped/guided me to come to my own conclusions whilst helping me to avoid catastrophizing. She really knows how to listen and make you feel heard, but also to recognise where behaviour comes from and the consequences and effects of your actions on yourself and others. She is a very well-read, hard-working and helpful therapist and I would recommend her to anyone who really wants to work on themselves."

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"Finding the right therapist on this service is key, but I can say that I'm very happy with my therapist."

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Rating: [5 out of 5 stars!]

"Belinda Gray was absolutely phenomenal! My wife and I faced the most challenging period in our relationship in November 2024, reaching a point where I was considering moving out and starting a new life. This was unprecedented in our 14.5 years together, making it particularly difficult.

Desperately needing professional help, we discovered online-therapy.com. The website's user-friendly and interactive interface proved invaluable during this time.

Our weekly video sessions with Belinda created a sense of mutual accountability. Her expertise, kindness, and insight were instrumental in helping us strengthen our marriage. She provided us with practical tools and guidance that helped us reconnect and rebuild our relationship. Thanks to her support, we've made significant progress in understanding and communicating with each other.

I highly recommend Belinda to any couples going through difficult times. Her compassionate approach and professional expertise make her an exceptional therapist who can help you navigate even the most challenging relationship issues."

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