Health anxiety & doctor visits

Some people spend a lot of time in healthcare settings, see several specialists and ask for many tests. Relief after a normal result is often short.

Repeated tests and appointments can bring real costs: money, time off work and travel.

Others avoid healthcare, often from distrust or fear of being dismissed. Avoiding care can make the fear grow.

Commonly avoided

• Check-ups and follow-ups
• Phoning for test results
• Reading information a doctor gave you
• Telling a doctor about a worrying symptom

Healthy checking sits in the middle of a line, with never checking at one end and checking very often at the other. Both extremes can be unhelpful.

Medical tests rule particular problems in or out. Doctors don’t have a test for every possible problem, so there’s always another “what if” for anxiety to grab onto.

Repeated visits without clear results can leave both you and your provider feeling dissatisfied. Some people feel disbelieved or labelled a “hypochondriac”.

Care for health anxiety aims to improve quality of life and how well you function, rather than to find a final answer that removes all doubt.

Guidance for family doctors recommends regular, short visits booked in advance, so patients don’t need new symptoms to get an appointment.

You could ask your provider whether planned check-ins, for example every few weeks or months, would suit you.

The same guidance encourages doctors to spend much of the visit listening, and to acknowledge that symptoms are real once other conditions have been checked.

Doctors are advised to limit unneeded tests and specialist referrals for people with lots of health worry. That isn’t brushing you off; extra tests can keep the anxiety cycle going.

• “Could we make a plan for my check-ups so I’m not coming in every time I worry?”
• “I think I struggle with health anxiety. Can we talk about that too?”
• “I search my symptoms a lot and it makes me more scared.”

Ask your provider how to tell apart fears that anxiety is amplifying from symptoms that need medical attention. Having their guidance means you aren’t left guessing alone.

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) helps people talk through their fears and learn healthy ways to cope. In one UK trial it was offered right in hospital outpatient clinics.

A long list can turn a visit into a hunt for reassurance. Choosing your two or three most important questions helps you focus on what matters most.

Searching symptoms tends to escalate worry toward rare, serious conditions. Write your questions instead and let your provider be the expert.

Anxiety can bring a racing heart, sweating and dizziness. Slow breathing or relaxation can help your body settle.

Before leaving, find out how and when you’ll get results and the best way to contact your provider. Knowing how to access your records can help too.

Postponing worries to a set daily worry time can stop them filling every hour. Fill the rest of the day with absorbing activities.

Avoiding results calms anxiety briefly but keeps the fear alive. You could make it a small step: ask someone to sit with you while you call, or call at a set time.

If doubt creeps back, remember that reassurance fading is part of health anxiety, not a sign you need more tests. Return to your plan and your agreed check-in.

Giving each step a distress rating from 0 to 100 helps you order them and see your progress. Repeat a step until it feels easier, then move up.

Changing who is with you is one way to make a step easier. A friend or relative can come along and help take notes.

Some people avoid care because they’ve felt dismissed before. That distrust can make fear grow, so it’s worth naming with a provider you choose.

Ask your provider how often check-ups and self-checks make sense for you, and how to tell anxiety-driven symptoms from ones that need care. A shared plan removes a lot of guesswork.

For a minor new sensation, one approach is to wait a set time, such as a week, and see whether it changes before taking things further, unless your provider has advised otherwise.

In a life-threatening situation, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. Health anxiety skills are for everyday worry, not emergencies.