Overcoming Health Anxiety, Part 1
Susie’s Never-Ending ER Visits
Susie was back in the ER. Again. Third time this month. This time, she was convinced something was wrong with her brain—head pressure, dizziness, maybe even a tumor.
The doctor ran tests. CT scan? Clear. Bloodwork? Perfect. Neurological exam? Normal.
But Susie wasn’t convinced. “What if they missed something?” The thought looped in her mind like a broken record.
Her husband was stuck between frustration and sympathy. He hated seeing her suffer, but the endless doctor visits, tests, and late-night Google searches were wearing them both down.
Susie was trapped in the cycle of health anxiety—and she wasn’t alone.
Is Health Anxiety on the Rise?
Before 2020, I saw the occasional case of health anxiety. But lately? It’s everywhere. The pandemic, lockdowns, endless media fear-mongering—it's been the perfect storm for a rise in health-related panic.
A Harvard Medical School article from 2020 reported that health anxiety affects 4–5% of people, and the real number could be as high as 24% because so many cases go unreported. And no, it’s not just one gender—men and women struggle with it equally.
What Exactly Is Health Anxiety?
Health anxiety is the obsessive fear of having a serious illness—despite little or no medical evidence. The DSM-5 calls it Illness Anxiety Disorder, but you might know it by its old name: hypochondria. It shares traits with OCD, because it’s driven by compulsions—checking symptoms, googling diseases, seeking reassurance, avoiding medical news like the plague (or diving headfirst into it).
At its core? Chronic, paralyzing worry.
And worry is heavy. Proverbs 12:25 puts it this way: “Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.”
But let’s be clear: Health anxiety sufferers aren’t making it up. Their fear feels real. The problem isn’t the physical sensation—it’s the catastrophic thoughts about it.
Where Does Health Anxiety Start?
Usually, it starts with a simple physical sensation:
A scratchy throat? Probably cancer.
Heart palpitations? Must be a heart attack.
A weird mole? Obviously melanoma.
A headache? Brain tumor. No doubt about it.
Even people without symptoms get trapped in the cycle. A guy whose dad died of a heart attack at 40? He might be convinced he’s next, even though his health is flawless. Just to be sure, he schedules another doctor’s visit, another test, another round of reassurance.
And round and round it goes.
The Health Anxiety Cycle
It works like this:
A physical sensation – Headache, chest tightness, dizziness.
Immediate judgment – This is bad.
Uncertainty and worry – What if it’s serious?
Worst-case scenario – I must be dying.
Reassurance-seeking – Googling, doctor visits, endless checking.
More physical sensations – Anxiety causes real symptoms.
Susie’s head pressure? It wasn’t a tumor. It was anxiety. But because she feared the worst, her body tensed up, making her symptoms feel even worse.
She was feeding the cycle.
Breaking Free from Health Anxiety
So what’s the solution?
First, understand that worry is not wisdom. Constructive concern means taking care of your body (1 Cor. 6:19-20). But crippling anxiety is different—it’s a lack of trust in God. Scripture is clear:
“Do not be anxious about anything.” (Phil. 4:6)
“Cast all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)
“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (2 Tim. 1:7)
If you’re caught in the grip of health anxiety, it’s time to get out. In Part 2, we’ll break down a real plan to stop the cycle. Stay tuned.
P.S. Get your FREE GUIDE: 7 Keys to Panic Freedom! Fast, easy download. Click here now.
Sources:
Lindsay Kalter, “Health Anxiety Common as Covid Restrictions Loosen,” WebMD.com, July 14, 2021, https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20210714/health-anxiety-common-covid-restrictions-loosen
Harvard Health Publishing, “Always Worried About Your Health? You May Be Dealing with Health Anxiety,” Health.Harvard.edu, April 15, 2020, https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/always-worried-about-your-health-you-may-be-dealing-with-health-anxiety-disorder
Jonathan S. Abramowitz, “Hypochondriasis: What Is It and How Do You Treat It,” BeyondOCD.com, https://beyondocd.org/expert-perspectives/articles/hypochondriasis-what-is-it-and-how-do-you-treat-it
Rebecca Anderson, Lisa Saulsman, and Nathan, Helping Health Anxiety. Perth, Western Australia: Centre for Clinical Interventions, 2011.