What causes health anxiety and how can you find relief?
You may be experiencing health anxiety if you worry a lot about having a serious medical condition – even if you have little or no symptoms at the moment – or if you had a traumatic health care experience in the past that keeps bothering you.
Health anxiety is also known as illness anxiety disorder or somatic symptom disorder and it affects people from all walks of life. It is characterized by excessive worry or fear about having a serious medical condition, despite having few or no physical symptoms. It is evidenced by seeking constant reassurance about your health or requesting excessive medical testing to alleviate this anxiety and feel better.
Healthy people have reported being very upset by a past event related to their health care.
These can be traumatic experiences that cause deep discomfort that drags on and lingers in the mind.
Read more about how anxiety can affect daily life.
What can cause health anxiety?
- Having a family history of serious medical problems can be one factor in feeling anxious about your health today.
- Easy access to medical information on the internet enables us to overanalyze symptoms we think we might have.
- Chronic health conditions, even when there are no symptoms at the moment, can trigger worry about future problems.
- A previous traumatic medical experience is one of the most frequent triggers of health anxiety today. Feelings of anxiety are rooted in a previous disturbing medical event. Many people find it hard to overcome past health trauma and suffer from ongoing anxiety.
Examples of recent cases of health anxiety:
Stroke victim
She overcame the stroke many years ago and is doing well medically but cannot get over the fear it will happen again. She uses a home cuff to check her blood pressure dozens of times a day, and all through the night. It interrupts her sleep. Frequent visits to her physician don’t help. She finds it hard to concentrate on anything else.
Misdiagnosis of a hand problem
She was sent to Physical Therapy by her doctor to treat her hand pain. The PT providers became skeptical and began to doubt that she really had a problem. They stopped her care and refused to resume care. Even though her hand problem got worse, she grew wary of going to any doctor for any problem. Her fear escalated to debilitating anxiety. She could hardly function. Fortunately, a family member introduced her to a surgeon out of state who correctly diagnosed the problem and repaired her hand.
At last, she found relief. But following the long and tortuous experience with health providers who misdiagnosed and mishandled her care, her persistent feelings of anxiety continued to interfere with her health care and limit her life choices.
Head trauma + mental health
A star athlete experienced head trauma playing football. His recovery was protracted over a long period of time and he was prevented from fulfilling his dream of a football life. He began to feel shame and guilt for not fulfilling his family’s expectations for his sports future. This led to anger and serious mental health problems that grew for years before seeking help.
COVID
Many people experience symptoms called “long COVID.” Others recovered from COVID completely and yet they continue to feel fearful about getting COVID again, which limits their daily life choices.
Hard to “get over it.”
For those who find it hard to get past the anxiety caused by that health trauma, their life may be affected in many ways. Well-meaning family and friends will say, “Just get over it.” Or “Be strong.”
These feelings of health anxiety rarely “just go away” and trying to “just get over it” does not help.
Individuals struggling with this anxiety may begin feeling even worse about themselves, leading to resentments, frustrations and even guilt, which can have a negative impact on these relationships. They may also experience feeling all alone or that they are disappointing the people they love.
Many people share a lack of understanding how a traumatic health event can cause lasting anxiety.
Can health anxiety be treated?
Yes! Health anxiety is a treatable condition. Various therapeutic approaches can help overcome this type of anxiety. You can get past it to lead a healthier, more fulfilling life.
There are various therapy modalities that can help people overcome health trauma. One is called Rapid Resolution Therapy (RRT).
Rapid Resolution Therapy (RRT) is a therapeutic approach well-suited to help overcome health anxiety. RRT can be beneficial in addressing health anxiety by addressing the underlying causes and changing thought patterns and behaviors.
As the name suggests, RRT aims to bring quick results. It focuses on identifying and resolving the root causes of anxiety rather than prolonged talk therapy. This can deliver relief from the distress of anxiety.
Health anxiety often has underlying psychological triggers based on past traumatic experiences. RRT can help process and resolve these underlying issues, which may be driving their anxiety.
RRT involves a unique process that challenges and reframes negative thought patterns. In the case of health anxiety, this may feel like changing cognitive distortions related to your perceived health threats.
It is designed to stop the cycle of thoughts, emotions, and sensations that are unproductive. A first step is to recognize that the purpose of these human impulses is to protect you. It is the body’s natural process of defense against any physical threat and geared toward survival.
Some have suppressed emotions or unresolved issues from a past experience or a family history of serious medical problems. In this case, RRT helps process these emotions in a safe and supportive environment, helping to gain insight and release the pent-up feelings.
Another RRT process helps to desensitize the emotional charge associated with health-related fears. Guided imagery and relaxation exercises are powerful processes skillfully directed toward decreasing those anxiety triggers.
RRT is a holistic mind-body approach that empowers you to take control of your anxiety. You learn coping strategies, such as relaxation techniques, mindfulness, and stress-reduction practices. These are practices you can continue using after therapy sessions are over. RRT emphasizes the importance of overall well-being. It promotes a healthier lifestyle, which can help reduce anxiety and improve physical health.
Find out if Nancy Stroud may be the one to assist you. Contact the office or call (281) 693-1455 to schedule your first appointment.