Health Anxiety Treatment
Health anxiety is a disorder characterized by excessive anxiety and worry about an illness that is serious. 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 illness. Treatment options include psychotherapy (or talk therapy) and medication.
Medications
Health anxiety is a serious illness that can affect one's ability to work and interact with other people. There are a myriad of treatments that can help manage symptoms and allow people to live a fuller life. These treatments may include medication, psychotherapy or a combination of both. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a form of psychotherapy, is frequently employed to treat this condition. This kind of therapy helps you recognize and confront harmful attitudes, behaviors and thoughts that contribute to anxiety. It also helps you find various ways to deal with your anxiety, like exercises and relaxation techniques.
The use of medications can be as a temporary treatment for severe anxiety disorders. Benzodiazepines, such as Klonopin (clonazepam), Xanax (alprazolam) and Valium (diazepam) are quick-acting drugs that can offer immediate relief. They reduce the activity of certain brain neurons that are hyperexcited because of anxiety by affecting the neurotransmitter GABA. These drugs shouldn't be taken more than four weeks consecutively, as they can become addictive.
Antidepressants are prescribed to treat anxiety and depression. Serotonin reuptake inhibitors, like SSRIs, increase levels of serotonin in the brain which can help reduce anxiety and depression. Selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors which block both serotonin absorption and norepinephrine reabsorption could be effective.
Health anxiety is a condition where people believe that they suffer from an illness that is medical and they are unable to forget about their symptoms, even after being reassured by doctors. In some instances, they also have delusions, like somatic delusions. They believe that their symptoms are due to their mental or emotional state. They often have difficulty sleeping, have trouble eating and feel physically uncomfortable. They can also be irritable and impatient, and often avoid family and friends. To help combat anxiety caused by health issues, it is best to get a diagnosis from a psychologist or psychiatrist. They can help you determine if the anxiety is caused by a medical problem and set limits on lab tests, imaging and referrals.
Cognitive behavioral therapy
It is normal to worry about your health, but if it gets too much, it could cause a lot stress. Fortunately cognitive behavioral therapy is among the most effective treatments for mental health anxiety.
This treatment focuses on learning new skills that will aid you in dealing with anxiety in a more effective way. The treatment typically comprises multiple sessions that last between 45 and 60 minutes. A typical treatment plan will include 12 to 20 sessions, however, it will vary based on your unique needs. Through CBT, you will be taught to recognize your maladaptive safety behaviors such as checking and seeking reassurance. You will also learn to apply a variety of mindfulness techniques that have been proven to reduce anxiety and aid in healing from illness.
Many people suffering from health anxiety are enthralled by fears of having or developing serious medical illnesses. This can trigger an array of unproductive behaviors such as constant examinations, seeking out reassurance from other doctors or others as well as avoiding places and people that remind them of illnesses. As time passes, these habits can have a significant negative impact on their lives and relationships.
In some cases health-related concerns, anxiety are associated with other disorders like depression or delusional disorder (somatic type). The majority times they are caused by an incorrect interpretation of a medical condition.
Health anxiety can be a major source of anxiety and cause problems with your daily routine. It is important to seek help when it becomes a problem so that you can recover and get back to living your life to the maximum.
There isn't a single reason for people to experience anxiety or health problems but some of the most common reasons are sudden deaths of close family members and difficult illnesses that occur in childhood or adulthood, and/or an underlying history of omitted diagnoses for physical ailments. I Am Psychiatry is important to discuss these issues with your therapist to better comprehend how they contributed to your anxiety. Together, you will be able to create a plan to break out of the cycle of anxiety and reassurance seeking and enjoy the best that life offers.
Talk therapy
Often, people with health anxiety experience a misinterpretation of bodily sensations or exaggerated belief about the likelihood of developing a disease. This constant preoccupation can cause anxiety and hinder the person from functioning normally in their everyday lives.
A therapist can correct your misperception of threats and help you discover healthy ways to manage anxiety. You can learn to stop avoiding, checking and seeking comfort that only reinforce your anxiety-inducing thoughts and beliefs. Additionally, you can develop the ability to challenge your negative beliefs and try to see things from a more balanced viewpoint. The use of medication can ease symptoms and reduce discomfort. They are often employed to treat depression, but can also be beneficial to those suffering from anxiety and health concerns.
If your GP diagnoses illness anxiety disorder, they may refer you to psychotherapy or prescribe medication to ease your symptoms. A lot of NHS talking therapies services offer cognitive behavioral therapy for this condition. Alternatively, you can contact an accredited psychologist or counsellor privately to receive psychotherapy. You can search 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 option for treating health anxiety, as it can help you identify negative or unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. Your therapist will likely employ cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), the most effective treatment for anxiety disorders.
CBT teaches you to identify and challenge harmful or untrue beliefs about your body, yourself, and medical procedures. It also teaches you to develop more effective ways of dealing with your fears, like avoiding excessive medical tests or reassurance seeking. In some cases your therapist might employ exposure therapy, which involves confronting your fears in a safe environment and training your brain to respond differently.
For example, Harriet is 36 and has never had any serious health problems. She is afraid that she has arthritis due to pain in two knuckles. She has seen a doctor and received reassurance but her anxiety persists. She starts avoiding activities and restricting her social life because of her fear. A therapist can help her learn CBT and help her learn to manage the pain in her hands.
Family Therapy
Health anxiety sufferers spend a lot of their time worrying about serious diseases like HIV or dementia, or cancer. The anxiety they experience can be so severe that it can interfere with their daily routine and cause stress in their relationships. They might believe that any physical sensation could be a sign of an illness. People with this condition may spend a lot of time looking for symptoms, seeking assurance from friends and family members or visiting numerous doctors for unnecessary tests. This can lead you to be exhausted and financially stressed, leading to lower quality of life.
Psychotherapy is usually the mainstay in treating health anxiety disorders. This form of therapy is known as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). The use of medications can be done alongside psychotherapy to enhance outcomes. If medication is prescribed, it should be given in small doses in order to avoid negative side effects.
The initial step of the family therapy session is an initial meeting with the therapy therapist. The session will help the therapist know how anxiety affects everyone in the family and what the root problems are. It is essential that all family members be involved in this process.
It's a good idea to make an appointment with your primary healthcare professional in case you suffer from extreme anxiety. This will allow you determine if there are any medical issues that could be responsible for anxiety.
People who are anxious about their health tend to misinterpret physical sensations like nausea, headache or muscle twitch to be symptoms of a serious illness. Patients with health anxiety visit multiple doctors, and are told that the symptoms are a result of their imagination. This can cause feelings of despair and frustration which can cause them to not seek treatment for their anxiety. In addition to causing emotional and financial anxiety, these patients typically are unable to work or attend social activities to attend doctor appointments. They also often have disputes with their loved ones over their concerns about their health. In some cases, family members feel that they are being blamed by their loved ones and start to act in unhealthy ways.