Psychosomatics of the fear of getting sick
The fear of getting sick, or health anxiety, is when you think so much about being ill or becoming ill that it fills your whole life. According to the NHS, the condition is linked to obsessive compulsive disorder, and therapy helps it. If the anxiety gets in the way of living and self-help does not work, book a GP. The Ladder method helps you notice what stands behind the fear, and it does not replace a doctor.
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When to see a doctor
A GP, then a psychotherapist or psychiatrist. The doctor will listen, examine you, order tests if needed and assess the anxiety. Come if health anxiety gets in the way of living and self-help does not work (NHS). It helps to see one doctor rather than look for a new one after every worry (MedlinePlus).
In the Ladder method
In the Ladder method the fear of getting sick is not explained by the words you are making it all up and is not counted as weakness. You are not to blame: it is a common condition, and the sensations are real. A doctor comes first, and the questions to yourself go alongside treatment, not instead of it.
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In the method this fear fits the image of a search for support: when there is nowhere to be weak and receive care, the body itself sends the signal I feel bad. This is an image, not a cause of the fear, and it does not replace therapy.
On the ladder this shows up as the steps I must cope alone and I am not allowed to ask for help. You can work through them at your own pace.
These are questions for reflection, not an explanation of what causes the condition and not a treatment.
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How it shows up
Book a doctor’s appointment if you notice:
- Constant thoughts that you are ill or will become ill
- Often checking the body for lumps and pain
- Asking for confirmation that everything is fine
- Fear that a doctor or tests missed something
- Long reading about illness online
- Avoiding anything linked to serious illness
What medicine knows
Health anxiety, in everyday speech hypochondria, is when you spend so much time thinking you are ill or will become ill that the thoughts start running your life (NHS). MedlinePlus calls it illness anxiety disorder: a person is convinced that sensations in the body are a sign of serious illness although there is no evidence. They do not create the symptoms on purpose and cannot control them.
Signs according to the NHS: constant thoughts about health, often checking the body for lumps, tingling or pain, asking for reassurance that you are not ill, fear that a doctor or tests missed something, endless reading about diseases online, avoiding anything linked to serious illness, behaving as if you are ill, for example giving up exercise. The anxiety itself causes symptoms such as headache and a pounding heart, and they are easy to mistake for illness.
Reassurance brings relief for a short time, then the anxiety returns to the same symptom or finds a new one. Symptoms change and are often vague. The risk is higher for those who have experienced physical or sexual abuse, but that does not mean it is so for everyone. The condition is equally common in men and women (MedlinePlus).
A doctor examines you and, if needed, orders tests to rule out illness, and a mental health specialist assesses the anxiety. The NHS names cognitive behavioral therapy and medicines for anxiety. At home a diary helps: write down how often you check your body, ask for reassurance and read about illness, and gradually cut it down, write an anxious thought next to a calmer one, do other things, return to your usual life and breathe slowly. MedlinePlus advises a trusting relationship with one doctor.
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Frequently asked questions
Is hypochondria making up illnesses?
No. MedlinePlus writes that a person does not create the symptoms on purpose and cannot control them. The sensations are real, and the fear reads them as a sign of serious illness.
What can I do myself?
The NHS advises keeping a diary of body checks and requests for reassurance and gradually cutting them down, writing an anxious thought and a calmer one, keeping busy, returning to usual activities and breathing slowly. If it does not help, see a GP.
Which doctor should I see?
Start with a GP: they will rule out illness and, if needed, refer you to a psychotherapist. The NHS names cognitive behavioral therapy. In the Ladder method the fear is a reason to ask yourself what you lack besides checks, and it does not replace treatment.
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Answers to common questions
Psychosomatics does not replace tests and treatment. Only a doctor can make a diagnosis.