January 20, 2026
Learn about health anxiety, symptoms, treatments, and when to seek help in NYC and Miami.
Health anxiety—sometimes called illness anxiety or, in older terms, hypochondriasis—is characterized by persistent and excessive worry about having or developing a serious medical condition despite reassurance and medical evaluation.
People with health anxiety experience high distress from benign bodily sensations, leading to repeated checking, medical visits, or avoidance of care. This worry can meaningfully disrupt work, relationships, and quality of life.
Health anxiety often involves intrusive thoughts about disease, catastrophic interpretations of normal bodily sensations, and difficulty tolerating uncertainty. Worry may be constant or triggered by health-related news, bodily changes, or family illness.
Common behaviors include repeated symptom checking, excessive internet searching, frequent doctor visits seeking reassurance, or conversely, avoiding medical care out of fear of bad news.
Heightened body awareness, sleep disturbance, muscle tension, and autonomic symptoms like heart palpitations can both fuel and be aggravated by anxiety.
Health anxiety emerges from a combination of factors including biological sensitivity to anxiety, past illness experiences, family history, cognitive biases (like catastrophizing), and learning—such as growing up in a family where health worries were prominent.
Stressful life events, chronic health conditions, or traumatic medical experiences increase risk. Personality traits such as high intolerance of uncertainty or neuroticism can also contribute.
Health anxiety frequently co-occurs with other mental health conditions. Understanding these overlaps helps tailor treatment.
Persistent worry about health may be accompanied by low mood, loss of pleasure, and changes in sleep or appetite; for resources on co-occurring mood concerns see our page on depression.
Health anxiety is an anxiety disorder and shares mechanisms with generalized anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder; intrusive health-related thoughts and checking behaviors can mirror the compulsions seen in OCD. For broader anxiety-focused care see our anxiety specialization.
Traumatic medical events or other traumas can sensitize individuals to bodily cues and lead to hypervigilance; specialized trauma-informed care is available through our PTSD services.
People with ADHD may have heightened health anxiety due to difficulties with sustained attention, impulsivity in reassurance-seeking, or challenges tolerating uncertainty.
Occasionally, health worries appear in the context of mood episodes; clinicians consider bipolar spectrum conditions when mood symptoms are prominent: bipolar disorder.
Body preoccupation and health fears intersect with eating disorders, necessitating integrated approaches addressing both physical and psychological health.
Accurate assessment includes a careful medical history and mental health evaluation. Clinicians rule out legitimate medical causes while assessing the intensity, duration, and functional impact of health worries.
Assessment commonly involves standardized questionnaires, clinical interviews, and collaboration with primary medical providers to ensure a safe, coordinated plan.
CBT tailored for health anxiety focuses on modifying catastrophic interpretations, reducing reassurance-seeking, and gradually exposing patients to feared sensations or situations. This is the most well-supported psychotherapy approach.
Behavioral strategies encourage facing feared situations (e.g., avoiding symptom checking or internet searches) while refraining from compulsive responses, decreasing anxiety over time.
ACT helps people accept uncomfortable sensations and commit to valued actions rather than getting stuck in worry cycles; mindfulness reduces fusion with anxious thoughts.
When appropriate, medication can be helpful alongside therapy. Our clinicians offer evidence-based pharmacotherapy through medication management and coordinate this with psychotherapy services such as psychotherapy for an integrated plan.
Treatment plans are individualized—some patients benefit from brief CBT protocols while others need longer-term psychotherapy or combined therapy and medication.
Alongside formal treatment, practical skills can reduce distress and improve functioning.
These strategies work best when practiced consistently and supported by a clinician who can help tailor them to your life and values.
If worry about your health interferes with daily life, causes repeated medical visits without relief, or co-occurs with depression, suicidal thinking, or substance use, seek professional care promptly.
Early intervention improves outcomes. Integrative treatment that addresses both mental health and medical collaboration offers the best path to recovery.
At Integrative Psych, we provide personalized, evidence-based care for health anxiety through psychotherapies like CBT and ACT, coordinated medication management, and attention to co-occurring conditions such as depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, and others.
Our clinicians work collaboratively with medical providers and offer flexible treatment options, from short-term focused CBT to longer-term psychotherapy. Learn more about our core services, including psychotherapy and medication management, and how we tailor care plans to individual needs.
To explore treatment or schedule an evaluation, visit our about page or contact us directly. We value a compassionate, nonjudgmental approach and will work with you to reduce worry and restore daily functioning.
Integrative Psych is a multidisciplinary mental health practice serving New York City and Miami, offering evidence-based care for health anxiety and related conditions. Our Chelsea team provides in-person and virtual care, while our Miami clinicians bring specialized expertise in trauma-informed and integrative approaches.
We treat a range of conditions including depression, ADHD, anxiety, OCD, eating disorders, PTSD, and bipolar disorder, and we emphasize integrated, patient-centered plans combining psychotherapy and medication when indicated.
For appointments, referrals, or questions about care in Chelsea (NYC) or Miami, please visit our contact page or learn more about our team and approach on our about page. We are here to help you move from worry to recovery with empathy and clinical expertise.
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