How to Overcome Fear of Disease

Co-authored by Ran D. Anbar, MD, FAAP

Last Updated: February 23, 2022 References

Illness anxiety disorder, also known as hypochondria, is a potentially debilitating mental health condition in which a person believes they have an illness without any symptoms.^{[1]
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Trustworthy Source
Cleveland Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
Go to source} Having a little bit of anxiety can help you avoid dangerous situations, but if your anxiety begins to take over your life, you may need to develop a treatment plan. Many people find that a combination of medical treatment and lifestyle changes are effective at managing or overcoming anxiety, including illness anxiety disorder.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Seeking Medical Help

1
Work with a therapist. Therapy is generally considered one of the most effective ways to manage anxiety disorders, and illness anxiety disorder is no different.^{[2]
X
Research source} There are many different approaches to therapy. Your general practitioner may be able to recommend a brand of therapy and a therapist if you're unsure of where to begin.
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has been shown to help patients who suffer from illness anxiety disorder.
- Working with a therapist can help you learn what triggers your anxiety and find ways to cope with your condition.
- Practicing mindfulness, meditation, whole body relaxation, and controlled breathing are all techniques your therapist may use to help you cope with anxiety.
- Trauma-focused therapy may help certain individuals who develop illness anxiety disorder after a life-altering experience. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a psychotherapy treatment that was originally designed to alleviate those patients with traumatic memories.
- Talk to your doctor about developing a treatment plan that's right for you.
2
Ask your doctor about medication. Medication can be highly effective at managing anxiety disorders for some individuals. For others, medication may not work at all and could cause unwanted side effects. If you are open to trying prescription treatments, talk to your doctor about whether medication may be right for you.^{[3]
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Trustworthy Source
National Health Service (UK)
Public healthcare system of the UK
Go to source}
- The most commonly prescribed type of medication for illness anxiety disorder is antidepressants.
- Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are a type of antidepressant frequently prescribed to treat illness anxiety disorder.^{[4]
  X
  Trustworthy Source
  Mayo Clinic
  Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
  Go to source} SSRIs are the main treatment for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD).
- Medication may not work for everyone. Only a qualified medical expert can assess your condition and decide whether medication is an appropriate treatment option.
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3
Talk to your doctor about your risk. While some people with illness anxiety disorder would benefit from reducing their number of trips to the doctor, your doctor may be able to provide some comfort. Many conditions that people with illness anxiety disorder fear are hereditary, specific to certain locations around the world, or extremely difficult to contract. Assessing the real risk of contracting a disease may help provide you with some comfort and reassurance that you are actually healthy.^{[5]
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- Let your doctor know what diseases or illnesses you fear most.
- Ask your doctor what the likelihood is that you might have or contract those diseases.
- Your doctor will know your health history and should be able to assess whether you are at any real risk of getting those conditions.
- Establishing a good physician-patient relationship is imperative. You may want to set up frequent visits to the doctor's office so that your doctor can provide advice and reassurance on a regular basis. Always be courteous to the staff at your physician's office.
- Try to find constructive ways to reduce your risk of developing an illness, such as maintaining social distancing, washing your hands frequently, eating a healthy diet, exercising, and getting plenty of sleep.^{[6]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Ran D. Anbar, MD, FAAP
  Pediatric Pulmonologist & Medical Counselor
  Expert Interview. 1 July 2020.}
4
Regulate your doctor's visits and tests. Making frequent appointments, demanding testing, or seeking a second opinion can increase your anxiety levels and may further convince you that you are ill. Similarly, avoiding all medical treatment because you are fearful of a potential diagnosis can also increase and prolong your anxiety about illness.^{[7]
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Trustworthy Source
Mayo Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
Go to source}
- Whether you tend to visit your doctor often or avoid going to the doctor, you should talk to your general practitioner about finding a healthy balance in the number of appointments you make with your healthcare provider.
- Schedule regular check-ups (about once every six to 12 months is usually acceptable) and see your doctor when health problems arise; however, going to the doctor every time you feel anxious about an illness will only increase your anxiety.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Making Changes In Your Life

1
Avoid sensational news stories. While some health risks are an actual cause for concern, many news stories inflate the risk of hot topic health conditions and illnesses. These "must-fear" lists tend to change every few months, and many medical professionals agree that these sensationalized news stories largely inflate the risk of a given disease to increase viewership/readership.^{[8]
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- If you are reading or watching the news and you notice that an upcoming segment deals with a current health topic, try changing the channel or reading something else.
- For some individuals, avoiding all media may be necessary. If you find yourself seeking out news stories about illness or reading articles that people post online, you may benefit from a media "vacation."
2
Resist the urge to read about diseases. People with illness anxiety disorder tend to either avoid anything that deals with health or they obsessively read as much as they can about illness and disease.^{[9]
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Trustworthy Source
National Health Service (UK)
Public healthcare system of the UK
Go to source} While both are certainly problematic, obsessively reading about diseases can dramatically increase your anxiety and may even convince you that you have a medical condition or illness.
- Avoid researching medical topics on the internet and reading medical books or articles.
- Try to avoid watching medical programs on television, especially those that deal with rare or incurable conditions.
3
Limit your need to ask for reassurance. Some people with anxiety disorders rely on reassurance from other people. This may be as simple as asking if you might have come in contact with a pathogen, or it may be more complex, like demanding that others treat you as though you were actually sick. Whatever your need for reassurance might be, tracking and reducing the frequency of your needs can help you reduce your anxiety in the long-term.^{[10]
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Trustworthy Source
National Health Service (UK)
Public healthcare system of the UK
Go to source}
- Carry a small pocket notebook and a pen or pencil with you wherever you go. If this isn't feasible you can use an electronic device like your cell phone.
- Tally up the number of times you ask others for comfort or reassurance each day.
- Next to the number of times you ask for comfort/reassurance, rank your average level of fear for the day on a scale from 0 (no fear) to 10 (extremely anxious).
- Set a goal for yourself to reduce the number of times you ask for reassurance each day.
- Don't expect your number to drop drastically overnight. Scale your progress and aim to reduce your average daily number a little bit every week.
4
Ask for support. You may find it helpful to ask for support from friends and family members. This can be a difficult topic to discuss, but it's important to remember that your loved ones care about you and are most likely willing to help you any way they can.^{[11]
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Trustworthy Source
National Health Service (UK)
Public healthcare system of the UK
Go to source}
- Let your loved ones know what your needs are.
- Ask your loved ones to help you by pushing you outside your comfort zone and reducing the number of times they offer verbal comfort/reassurance.
- Say something like, "I will still need reassurance and comfort from time to time; however, I think it would help me the most if you limited how many times a day you give me that comfort."

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Reducing Your Stress Levels

1
Try relaxation techniques. Relaxation techniques may not give you proof that you're not ill, but they can help calm your mind and relax your body. Techniques that promote relaxation are frequently recommended by doctors and therapists to help cope with many different types of anxiety disorders.^{[12]
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- Meditation, yoga, and tai chi are all common relaxation techniques used to reduce stress and anxiety.^{[13]
  X
  Research source} For example, try meditating for 30 minutes a day as a way of calming your mind. That can help you live in the moment, as opposed to worrying about the future.^{[14]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Ran D. Anbar, MD, FAAP
  Pediatric Pulmonologist & Medical Counselor
  Expert Interview. 1 July 2020.}
- Walking outdoors is another simple and effective relaxation technique that may help alleviate your anxiety.
- Progressive muscle relaxation helps many people relax and overcome anxiety. Slowly tense each muscle from your toes to your head, hold the flex for at least five seconds, then release the tension and feel each muscle relax.^{[15]
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2
Exercise regularly. Many healthcare and mental health professionals recommend exercise as a safe and effective way to manage anxiety.^{[16]
X
Trustworthy Source
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School's Educational Site for the Public
Go to source} If you're considering a new exercise regimen, talk to your doctor to ensure that you are physically healthy enough to engage in regular exercise.
- Regular exercise can help you work through stress. The endorphins released during exercise can also have a calming effect on your mind and body.
- A regular exercise routine may also help relieve some of your fears about contracting a disease. The healthier your body is, the less likely you are to succumb to a severe illness.
- Aim to work your way up to 30 minutes five days a week of moderate-intensity exercise, or 150 minutes total. You should also include 20 – 30 minutes of strength training two to three times a week.
3
Avoid intoxicants. While intoxicants like alcohol and recreational drugs may make you feel relaxed in the short term, they actually cause long-term problems like dependence and addiction. Intoxicants may actually induce anxiety in some individuals, which could potentially make your illness anxiety disorder symptoms even worse. Intoxicants also prevent you from actually confronting your anxiety. They are merely a crutch that you will need to lean on more and more as time goes on.^{[17]
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Trustworthy Source
Mayo Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
Go to source}
4
Learn to recognize your own stress levels. Stress can significantly increase your anxiety levels. Some stress is unavoidable, but you can manage that stress once you learn to recognize it in your life.^{[18]
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Research source} Engaging in negative self-talk and holding unrealistic expectations are two significant causes of stress that you can learn to recognize through reflecting and journaling about your thought process.^{[19]
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- Some common types of negative self-talk include filtering out all positive aspects of a situation to focus on the negative ones, automatically blaming yourself when bad things happen, and automatically anticipating the worst possible outcome.^{[20]
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- Replace negative self-talk with positive self-talk. Instead of dwelling on negative thoughts and situations, focus on what you can change to improve your situation, surround yourself with positive people, and use humor to lighten your mood.
- When you get overwhelmed, remind yourself that feeling anxious about your health is a sign that you care about yourself and want to ensure that you're healthy.^{[21]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Ran D. Anbar, MD, FAAP
  Pediatric Pulmonologist & Medical Counselor
  Expert Interview. 1 July 2020.}
- Try wearing a rubber band around your wrist. Any time you catch yourself engaging in negative self-talk or dwelling on your anxieties, snap the rubber band to break your thought pattern and take a moment to meditate.^{[22]
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Expert Q&A

Question

How do I overcome my fear of illness?

Ran D. Anbar, MD, FAAP
Pediatric Pulmonologist & Medical Counselor
Dr. Ran D. Anbar is a pediatric medical counselor and is board certified in both pediatric pulmonology and general pediatrics, offering clinical hypnosis and counseling services at Center Point Medicine in La Jolla, California and Syracuse, New York. With over 30 years of medical training and practice, Dr. Anbar has also served as a professor of pediatrics and medicine and the Director of pediatric pulmonology at SUNY Upstate Medical University. Dr. Anbar holds a BS in Biology and Psychology from the University of California, San Diego and an MD from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. Dr. Anbar completed his pediatric residency and pediatric pulmonary fellowship training at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School and is also a past President, fellow and approved consultant of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis.

Ran D. Anbar, MD, FAAP

Pediatric Pulmonologist & Medical Counselor

Expert Answer

Embrace the fact that you care about yourself and want to ensure you're healthy, and remind yourself of the many times in your life that you were healthy. Find constructive ways to reduce your chances of developing an illness, such as washing your hands, social distancing, exercising, eating a healthy diet, and getting plenty of sleep.