Health Anxiety: How Chronic Worry About Bodily Symptoms Can Escalate Into Avoidance and Impairment
Health anxiety, also termed illness anxiety disorder in modern psychiatric classification, is characterized by excessive preoccupation with having or acquiring a serious illness despite minimal or reassuring medical findings. Individuals may interpret normal bodily sensations—such as palpitations, fatigue, or transient pain—as signs of impending disease. This persistent misinterpretation can drive repeated checking behaviors (e.g., seeking… Read More »