Health Anxiety Treatment
Health anxiety is a condition characterized by excessive anxiety and worry about the possibility of a serious illness. The anxiety is accompanied by excessive checking behaviors and repeated requests for reassurance.
Illness anxiety, or hypochondria is caused by a misinterpretation and false beliefs about illnesses. Psychotherapy (or talk-therapy) and medication are two options for treating the condition.
Medicines
Health anxiety is a serious illness that affects one's ability both to work and interact with other people. There are a myriad of ways to treat symptoms and allow people to live a fuller life. These treatments may include medication and psychotherapy, or the combination of both. Psychotherapy is usually the first step in dealing with this condition and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a common treatment. This type of therapy can help you identify and challenge unhelpful beliefs, behavior and thoughts that cause anxiety. It also helps you discover different ways to cope with your worries, such as exercise and relaxation techniques.
The use of medications can be as a temporary treatment for severe anxiety disorders. Benzodiazepines, such as Klonopin, Xanax, and Valium are fast-acting medicines that can offer immediate relief. They affect the neurotransmitter gamma aminobutryic acid (GABA) and decrease the activity of certain neurons in the brain that are stimulated by anxiety. These drugs shouldn't be taken more than four weeks at a time, as they can become addictive.
Antidepressants are often prescribed to treat anxiety and depression. Serotonin reuptake inhibitors, like SSRIs, boost serotonin levels in the brain. This can decrease depression and anxiety. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors which inhibit the reabsorption of both norepinephrine and serotonin can also be effective.
People with health anxiety often have a strong conviction that they have medical problems and are unable to forget about their symptoms, despite being given reassurance by doctors. In some cases, they also have delusions, such as somatic delusions. They believe that their symptoms are related to their mental or emotional state. They usually have trouble sleeping, are unable to eat and feel physically uncomfortable. They may also be frustrated or impatient and avoid family and friends. To help combat anxiety caused by health issues it is best to seek out an assessment from a psychiatrist or psychologist. They can assess whether the anxiety is being caused by a medical condition and help you establish the limits of lab tests, imaging, and referrals to specialists.
Cognitive therapy for behavior
It is normal to worry about your health, but if your concern becomes excessive, this could cause a lot distress. Cognitive behavioral therapy is one the most effective methods of psychological treatment for health anxiety.
This treatment focuses on learning new skills that will assist you in coping with anxiety in a more efficient manner. The treatment usually consists of several individual sessions lasting 45-60 minutes. A typical treatment program will comprise 12 to 20 sessions, however, it will vary based on your individual needs. During CBT, you'll learn to recognize your maladaptive behavior like checking and reassurance-seeking. You will also be taught to apply a variety of mindfulness techniques that are known to reduce anxiety and aid in healing from illness.
People who suffer from health anxiety are preoccupied by worries about having or developing serious medical illnesses. This can result in various maladaptive actions, such as frequent checkups, seeking reassurance from others or doctors, and avoiding people and places that bring back memories of their illness. As time passes, these habits can have a negative impact on your life and relationships.
In some cases the health concerns anxiety are associated with other disorders such as depression or delusional disorder (somatic type). However, the majority times, they are based on the misinterpretation of bodily sensations as well as exaggerated fears about the possibility of having an illness that is medically related.
Health anxiety can be a significant source of distress and interfere with your daily life. It is essential to seek help if it becomes a problem to recover and get back to living your life to the fullest.
There isn't one reason why people develop health anxiety however, some of the most common causes are sudden deaths of close relatives and difficult illnesses that occur in adulthood or childhood, and/or a history of missed diagnoses for physical ailments. It is important to discuss these issues with your therapist to better understand how they have contributed to your anxiety. Together, you can create strategies to break free from the cycle of anxiety and reassurance and enjoy the best that life offers.
Talk natural remedies to treat anxiety , people suffering from health anxiety experience a misinterpretation of bodily sensations or an exaggerated belief about the likelihood of developing a disease. The constant worry can cause distress and prevent the person from thriving in their daily lives.
A therapist can assist you to correct threat misappraisal and find ways to manage your anxieties in a healthy way. You can learn to stop avoiding, checking and seeking comfort which only bolster your anxiety-inducing thoughts and beliefs. You can also learn to confront unhelpful thoughts and to try to view the world from an unbiased viewpoint. The use of medication can help to manage symptoms and ease discomfort. They are often used to treat depression, but can also be beneficial for anxiety and health concerns.
If your GP determines that you suffer from illness anxiety disorder, he or she may refer you to psychotherapy or prescribe medication to ease your symptoms. Many NHS therapy services provide cognitive behavioral therapy for this condition. You can also talk to an accredited psychologist or counsellor to offer psychotherapy on a private basis. You can look up the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies Register or The British Psychological Society Directory to find a registered psychologist.
Talk therapy is the most effective way to treat health anxiety. It helps you identify negative or unhelpful behavior and thoughts. Your therapist will most likely employ cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), the most effective treatment for anxiety disorders.
CBT teaches you to recognize and challenge unhelpful or untrue beliefs about your body, yourself, and medical procedures. It also helps you adopt healthier ways of responding to your anxieties, for example, not undergoing too many medical tests or reassurance seeking. In certain instances, exposure therapy is used by your therapist. This is about confronting your fears and training your mind to react differently.
Harriet for instance, is 36 years old and has not had any serious health issues. She is worried that she has arthritis due to discomfort in her two knuckles. She has seen a doctor and received reassurance but the fear persists. She is forced to stop doing activities and restricts her social life due to her anxiety. A therapist could teach her CBT and help her to discover ways to manage the discomfort in her hands.
Family therapy
Health anxiety patients spend a lot of their time worrying about serious illnesses such as HIV and dementia, as well as cancer. Their anxiety about their health can become so pronounced that it affects their daily functioning and causes stress in their relationships. They may think that any physical sensation could be an indication of illness. They might spend time looking up symptoms or seeking out reassurance from friends and family. They may also visit numerous doctors for unnecessary tests. This can cause you to be exhausted and financially stressed. You may also experience lower quality of life.
Psychotherapy is usually the primary treatment option for health anxiety disorders. This type of therapy is referred to as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). The use of medications can be done alongside psychotherapy to improve results. If medication is prescribed, it is usually be administered in small doses in order to avoid adverse side effects.
The first step of the family therapy session is to have a brief intake with the therapy therapist. This session will allow the therapist to get an understanding of how the anxiety affects the entire family and what the root issues are. All family members should be involved in the process.
If you are struggling with anxiety that is severe, it's best to arrange an appointment with your primary healthcare provider. This will allow you to rule out any medical conditions that may be causing anxiety.
People who are anxious about their health are prone to misinterpret physical sensations like nausea, headache or muscle twitch as symptoms of a serious illness. They often see a variety of doctors and are told that their symptoms are caused by their imaginations. This can cause frustration and discouragement which can make them less willing to seek treatment for anxiety. Patients with anxiety are not just financially and emotionally stressed but also miss out on social or work-related activities in order to attend appointments with their doctor. Patients also frequently argue with their partners about their concern for their health. In some instances family members believe that they are being scapegoated by their loved ones and begin to behave in unhealthy ways.