If you’ve ever experienced feelings of trepidation or even fear before seeing a doctor, you are not alone. Anxiety, in and of itself, is a perfectly normal and even healthy response to the unknown. The purpose of anxiety is to keep you safe by alerting you to potential risks so that you can take action.
However, anxiety can also take a wrong turn. It can make you feel afraid when there’s nothing to fear or trigger a reaction that’s disproportionate to the actual threat level. Health anxiety is relatively common, but it’s important not to let it stop you from seeking the medical care you need. Let’s take a deeper look at the different types of health anxiety and how you can overcome health anxiety overall.
White coat syndrome
White coat syndrome is an anxiety disorder that typically causes high blood pressure at the doctor’s office. It can appear even in people who don’t feel particularly nervous about medical appointments. You might not even know you’re experiencing it until your blood pressure reads higher during your visit than it does at home. This is a sign your body is under stress, even if you mentally feel fine. People with white coat syndrome may also experience high blood pressure during other stressful scenarios, such as before giving a big presentation or taking an important test. This could simply mean random higher blood pressure readings that don’t mean much, or it could be a precursor to chronic hypertension. For these reasons, your doctor may want you to take blood pressure readings throughout your daily life or undergo additional testing.
Signs of higher-than-normal health anxiety
Whether or not you experience white coat syndrome, there are other signs your level of anxiety around health may be higher than most. Everyone is different, but common symptoms include:
- Physical changes such as sweaty palms, stomach distress, or a headache when thinking about an upcoming visit
- Difficulty sleeping the night before an appointment
- Irritability, anger, or generally feeling emotionally out of sorts
- Finding excuses to postpone medical care
- Compulsively researching symptoms and diseases or, alternately, refusing to admit that you have pain or other possible indications of an illness or injury
Types of health anxiety
Health anxiety is a broad term that encompasses all fears related to health or medical professionals. It can be further subdivided into a wide range of more specific fears and phobias. Three of the most common include:
- Illness anxiety disorder. Formerly known as hypochondriasis or hypochondria, this is the fear of having a serious medical condition despite few or no symptoms.
- Nosophobia. People with this fear believe that they have a specific disease. It often stems from Googling nonspecific symptoms such as a headache, which might then make you think you have other symptoms of whatever illness you find.
- Iatrophobia. This is the fear of doctors, rather than of illness. You might not believe you’re sick at all, but just being in a doctor’s office can cause panic.
Overcoming your health anxiety
The earlier you can catch and treat any emerging illness or injury, the more successful the outcome is likely to be. This makes it extremely important not to put off medical care, despite your fears. Fortunately, there are practical steps you can take:
- Practice deep breathing. Simple breathing exercises can help calm your nerves, while also providing a much-needed distraction.
- Try visualization. Close your eyes and conjure up a mental image of a place that you truly love, such as the beach or the mountains. Focus on creating as much detail as possible, from the sights and sounds to how the breeze feels on your skin.
- Bring support. Ask a loved one to accompany you to your appointments. Choose someone who is totally relaxed around medical offices and can keep the conversation flowing.
- Talk to your doctor. Most doctors genuinely want their patients to feel comfortable. Let yours know that you have health anxiety and work together to build a care plan that minimizes your triggers.
- Seek treatment from a mental health professional. If you have a lot of anxiety or a phobia, you may need professional assistance to work through it. Anti-anxiety medications can help you stay calm, while a variety of therapy techniques can help you work through the fears. It may be tough to reach out at first, but the rewards are well worth it.