What causes health anxiety?

There are many reasons why someone worries too much about their health.

You may be going through a particularly stressful period of your life. There may have been illness or death in your family, or another family member may have worried a lot about your health when you were young.

Personality can be a factor. You may be vulnerable to health anxiety because you are a worrier generally. You may find it difficult to handle emotions and conflict, and tend to "catastrophise" when faced with problems in your life.

Sometimes, health anxiety can be a symptom of a mental health condition, such as depression or anxiety disorder , which needs recognising and treating in its own right (see below).

Content supplied by the NHS Website

Medically Reviewed by a doctor on 21 Dec 2018