Health anxiety therapy in London
What is health anxiety?
Health anxiety is persistent worry about being seriously ill, kept going by checking the body, searching symptoms and seeking reassurance that never quite lasts. CBT treats it by interrupting those cycles and building tolerance for uncertainty about health. At The Lyceum, Sanah Younis, a BABCP-accredited CBT therapist, delivers this in Chiswick, Ealing and Richmond, or online. New or changing physical symptoms should always be checked with a doctor first. Health anxiety can involve a strong conviction that something serious is wrong, with ordinary sensations becoming evidence. Medical safety comes first: new, changing or unexplained symptoms should be checked with a doctor. The work uses response prevention and reallocation of attention. It can involve agreeing limits on checking and reassurance-seeking while examining the belief that a healthy body is free of all sensation. The medical-safety line remains prominent throughout. How we measure progress GAD-7 alongside SHAI (Short Health Anxiety Inventory). A baseline anxiety measure is paired with a measure specific to the difficulty being treated, so a general distress score does not stand in for the specific fear. Health anxiety is rigid in a way general worry is not. General worry roams; health anxiety anchors to one conviction, that something is seriously wrong, and every symptom becomes evidence. The cruel part is that checking and reassurance, the very things that bring a moment of relief, are what keep it alive: each search, each doctor’s visit, teaches the brain the threat was real enough to check. Treatment is not about proving you are well. It is about learning to live alongside the uncertainty every human body carries, without answering it.
Practical questions
How long does CBT for health anxiety take?
The pace and scope are set through assessment. Where focused work or a formal review is appropriate, this is agreed collaboratively rather than assumed from a page.
How much does health anxiety therapy cost in London?
Published fees are £110 for online appointments and £140 for face-to-face sessions. Current availability, practical arrangements and funding options can be discussed before booking. View fees and funding information.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between health anxiety and OCD?
Both can involve checking and a wish for certainty, but health anxiety is commonly centred on fears of illness or bodily danger. Assessment looks at the feared outcome and the cycle that maintains it.
Should I see a doctor before health anxiety therapy?
New, changing or unexplained physical symptoms should be checked with a doctor first. CBT can then address a health-anxiety cycle when that is the relevant pattern.
Can CBT help with health anxiety?
CBT may address checking, searching, reassurance-seeking and intolerance of uncertainty when an assessment identifies those patterns. It does not replace medical assessment.
How do I stop checking my symptoms?
The key to stopping symptom checking is understanding that the checking itself is what fuels your fear. Every time you scan your body or search for a diagnosis online, you are reinforcing the brain's belief that there is a legitimate threat. We start by gradually delaying the urge to check, building your tolerance for physical uncertainty. Once new, changing, or unexplained symptoms have been properly medically cleared, we work together to systematically drop the reassurance-seeking that is keeping your health anxiety alive.
Why does reassurance not help health anxiety?
Reassurance can feel settling for a short time, but repeated checking or seeking certainty may teach the mind that the threat needed answering. CBT can explore that pattern and build tolerance for uncertainty without telling someone to ignore medical concerns.
Can health anxiety be cured?
CBT can help loosen the checking, searching and reassurance cycle that keeps uncertainty in charge. We do not promise certainty about health; therapy can address the response patterns adding to distress while making clear that new, changing or unexplained symptoms still need medical assessment.
Should I still see a doctor for health anxiety?
Yes. New, changing or unexplained physical symptoms should be checked with a doctor. Once relevant medical factors have been considered, CBT can explore whether a health-anxiety cycle is adding to distress, checking or reassurance-seeking.
What is health anxiety therapy?
Health anxiety therapy begins with an assessment of the feared outcome, bodily focus, checking and reassurance cycle. CBT can then consider response prevention and attention strategies where appropriate, without assuming that a person’s symptoms have one explanation.