Health Anxiety (HA)

Health anxiety is characterised by preoccupation with a fear of developing a serious illness, or with the belief that one already has an undiagnosed serious illness.  The preoccupation persists despite medical reassurance.  Sufferers can misinterpret normal physical sensations, such as dizziness or tiredness, as evidence of a severe illness.  Common examples include (i) a headache being misinterpreted as a brain tumour; (ii) A lump in one’s body being misinterpreted as cancer; (iii) Feelings of unreality being misinterpreted as a sign of madness. 

This marked fear may cause people to try to avoid and/or distract themselves from their thoughts and feelings, or to escape from or avoid situations that remind them of illness or death. This can mean that people avoid going to the doctor, or avoid reading about illness in the media.  Alternatively, people may excessively research their symptoms, or seek repeated reassurance from friends, doctors or make repeated visits to A&E Departments to find out the cause of their symptoms.

More details on Health Anxiety are provided at NHS Choices