Health anxiety can present as the constant presence of worry that you are unwell or becoming unwell. This may have been triggered by a minor physical ailment like a cold, rash or generalised pain or numbness. People may experience a pre-occupation on this ailment to the extent they believe they may have a significant illness or even that they may die. This excessive worrying causes them to seek regular reassurance from those around them and numerous health professionals. Some may want diagnostic tests carried out when there is little indication they are required.
Health anxiety can begin at any age, however it most commonly develops in adolescence or in young adulthood. Health anxiety can either be long lasting or fluctuate depending on various life stresses.
Health anxiety can create a vicious cycle of ill health as the physical response to anxiety can in themselves cause distress and may be misinterpreted as physical ill health. The focus on your health may also bring about self-neglect, body tension and potentially cause you ill health. Minor physical conditions may also persist and become amplified as you focus more and more on the potential for a more debilitating physical illness being present.
The nature of health anxiety is such that the person experiencing it is unaware that they have mental health needs; often it is those people around you who joke that you are a ‘hypochondriac’ or professionals that tell you there is nothing wrong and to stop worrying. Eventually, when people have made a large number of visits to their doctor and sought various diagnostic tests to seek reassurance or to try and validate their feelings. The fear of illness still persists even when results of investigations are returned suggesting there is nothing wrong.
In the case of health anxiety (hypochondria), fear of a significant health condition or death is the main concern; this can sometimes be confused with having a somatoform disorder. Somatisation is where a person has physical symptoms for which there is no explanation for them, and the causative factor is internalised anxiety and depression.
At Schoen Clinic, our specialists address your individual fears and disorders during the diagnostic phase. The clinical diagnosis can be supported by specific questionnaires. Further physical examinations are not usually necessary, but can be arranged, if required.
When health anxiety becomes debilitating and prevents you from doing things you previously enjoyed or are responsible for, we will work with you to address the underlying triggers and equip you with the skills to reduce the feelings of anxiety and increase your self-confidence and self-esteem.
Sometimes health anxiety can impact on your mood, how you see yourself and others it is, therefore fairly common for people who experience health anxiety to feel depressed. We will work with you holistically towards a full recovery. Health anxiety disorders can be treated with a combination of treatment and therapies.
Psychoeducation can support you to recognise the basis of your personal challenges with continuous worrying and feelings of stress. How these feelings impact on you physically and how that in turn can perpetuate and escalate those feelings is sometimes referred to as a ‘cycle of fear or anxiety.’
Learning relaxation techniques and mindfulness help you regulate these symptoms and teach your body to change from a state of unease and tension to one of peacefulness and improved wellbeing.
Psychological interventions such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) support you to reduce negative thoughts and assist in gaining a more proportionate perspective on the things that you worry about.
Our team of experts, consultant psychiatrists, nurses, psychotherapists/psychologists, family therapists and occupational therapists work together as a multidisciplinary team for the benefit of every patient in the treatment of health anxiety.
Schoen Clinic Day Centre for Mental Health Chelsea
Psychotherapist - Schoen Clinic Centre for Mental Health Chelsea
Psychotherapist
Schoen Clinic Day Centre for Mental Health Chelsea
Senior Consultant Psychiatrist - Schoen Clinic Centre for Mental Health Chelsea
Consultant Psychiatrist
Schoen Clinic Day Centre for Mental Health Chelsea
Consultant Psychiatrist - Schoen Clinic Centre for Mental Health Chelsea
Consultant PsychiatristDiscover here our specialised clinic for health anxiety. Let our experienced team advise you now.
13a Radnor Walk
London SW3 4BP
Tel: +44 20 3146 2300
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