When Worry About Your Health Becomes the Problem

Do you often fear that a harmless symptom could be something serious — or find yourself Googling illnesses at 2am?

Are you constantly checking your body, seeking reassurance, or feeling anxious after doctor visits instead of reassured?

This is known as health anxiety, and while it’s a common experience, it can feel incredibly isolating and overwhelming.

What Is Health Anxiety?

Health anxiety (also called illness anxiety disorder or formerly hypochondriasis) involves excessive worry about having or developing a serious medical condition — despite little or no medical evidence.

People with health anxiety often:

  • Misinterpret normal bodily sensations as signs of something dangerous

  • Repeatedly check their body for symptoms

  • Seek frequent reassurance from doctors, loved ones, or the internet

  • Avoid medical settings altogether out of fear of bad news

  • Feel trapped in a loop of anxiety, reassurance, and renewed doubt

This pattern can significantly impact your emotional wellbeing, relationships, and ability to focus on other areas of life.

It’s Not Just “Overthinking”

Health anxiety isn’t about being dramatic or attention-seeking — it’s your brain trying to keep you safe. Unfortunately, the more you try to control the fear, the more it controls you. That’s where evidence-based therapy comes in.

Therapy for Health Anxiety

At Brodie Earl Clinical Psychology, we take a practical, compassionate approach to health anxiety treatment — grounded in research and tailored to you.

Your treatment may include:

  • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
    Learn how to break the cycle of unhelpful thoughts, compulsive checking, and reassurance-seeking.

  • Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)
    Gently face your fears (like resisting the urge to check symptoms or seek reassurance) so they lose their grip.

  • Mindfulness and Acceptance-Based Therapies
    Build tolerance for uncertainty — and live alongside discomfort without letting it run the show.

  • Schema Therapy
    Address deeper patterns such as fear of abandonment, mistrust, or vulnerability to harm that may be fuelling the anxiety.

We’ll go at your pace, with full transparency and respect. Therapy doesn’t mean “ignoring your health” — it means learning how to respond to health concerns appropriately with balance and confidence.

Why Work with a Clinical Psychologist?

As registered clinical psychologists in Sydney CBD, we provide structured, evidence-based therapy for health anxiety in a confidential and supportive setting.

You’ll receive tools you can actually use in daily life — not just talk therapy, but real strategies to shift the cycle.

Start Feeling More at Ease

You don’t have to keep living in fear of symptoms, scans, or worst-case scenarios. With the right support, your mind can become a place of clarity — not constant emergency. Our team can help.

Call: 0450 808 917
Email: admin@brodieearl.com
Book online: enquire now

Take the next step toward feeling calmer, clearer, and more in control.