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Best Therapists for Hypochondriasis Treatment
Hypochondriasis or health anxiety is a mental health condition in which the indi...read more
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Fitcy’s Top Picks for Hypochondriasis.
Andres Davidson 
Cognitive Behavioral Therapist
- Spanish
- English
- ACT Practitioner
- CBT Practitioner
- Clinical Psychologist
- Life Coach
- Solution Focused Therapy
Perla Semaan 
Clinical Psychologist & CBT Practitioner
- Arabic
- English
- French
50+ Happy Clients
- ACT Practitioner
- CBT Practitioner
- Child Psychology
- Clinical Psychologist
- Counselling Psychologist
- DBT Practitioner
- EMDR Therapy
- Mindfulness
- Solution Focused Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
Joanne Zeidan
Clinical Psychologist & Psychoanalysis
- English
- Arabic
- French
- Psychoanalysis
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Systemic Therapy
Elena Sandoval 
Clinical Psychologist & Expressive Arts Therapy
- Spanish
- English
- Child Psychology
- Clinical Psychologist
- Expressive Art Therapy
- Life Coach
- Mindfulness
- Neuropsychological Assessment
- Occupational Therapist
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Psychological Assessments
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
Batool Ahmad
Counselling Psychologist & Holistic Therapist
- Arabic
- English
- ABA Therapy
- Business Coach
- CBT Practitioner
- Compassionate Therapy
- Counselling Psychologist
- DBT Practitioner
- Expressive Art Therapy
- Gestalt Psychotherapy
- Life Coach
- Mindfulness
- Psychoanalysis
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Psychological Assessments
- Solution Focused Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
Inneke Greyvenstein
Clinical Psychologist & Wellbeing Specialist
- English
- Afrikaans
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Emotion-Focused Therapy
- Existential Therapy
- Expressive Art Therapy
- Family Constellation Therapy
- Gestalt Psychotherapy
- Mindfulness-Based Approaches
- Motivational Interviewing
- Narrative Therapy
- Person-Centered Therapy
- Psychoanalysis
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Solution-oriented Brief Therapy
- Somatic Experiencing
- Systemic Therapy
- Transpersonal Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
Jicinta Elliott
Counsellor & Wellness Coach
- English
- ACT Practitioner
- CBT Practitioner
- Child Psychology
- Compassionate Therapy
- Life Coach
- Mindfulness
- Solution Focused Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
Arda Kashkashian
Clinical Psychologist & IPT Provider
- Arabic
- French
- English
- Armenian
- Child Psychology
- Clinical Psychologist
- Compassionate Therapy
- Counselling Psychologist
- Expressive Art Therapy
- Psychoanalysis
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
Anant Kumar
Psychologist
- English
- Hindi
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Emotion-Focused Therapy
- Existential Therapy
- Family Constellation Therapy
- Gestalt Psychotherapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Person-Centered Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Solution-oriented Brief Therapy
Caroline McMenamin
Counsellor and Psychotherapist
- English
- CBT Practitioner
- DBT Practitioner
- Life Coach
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What People say After the First Session 😍
Jana M'hanna
First time from a long time to speak to someone understand me without talking alot
Thomas Theodosiou
Always look forward to my sessions.
Daiana Jumuga
Daiana is a great listener, very empathetic towards my situation. She tries to come up with various ways to identify the problem and provide a solution.
Thomas Theodosiou
I love how deeply he goes into what I say. The questions he asks to teach how I really feel about everything is immensely helpful.
Kelsey Gibbs
kelsey is great with providing some technical solutions for the topics we discussed.
Thomas Theodosiou
Though we aware following what he said. His input validated what we were doing. We did receive help with other aspects such us sibling rivalry and how to go about our child's education. I think Mr Theo is a pleasant and very helpful person. Would definitely recommend him to others.
Thomas Theodosiou
My sessions were great, my therapist is very helpful and motivating.
Beverly Fernandez
Welcoming, calming, gentle.
Manuel Torres
I had a wonderful and constructive sessions with Manuel and Fitcy. I found Manuel to be very affable and he gave me the freedom to conduct our sessions in a pace where I am comfortable, this made it easier for me to discuss things i normally would not. My counseling was intended to focus solely on my stress triggers, but Manuel dug deep into my past and origins and helped me understand my issues and myself better. I would unquestionably advise Manuel to anyone trying to work through issues in therapy since he is very light to deal with, understanding and never judgmental."
Beverly Fernandez
I am very grateful that I made my life coaching session with Ms Beverly and to your team can say Thank you very much for helping me all the way of my session. Every session has a fruitful meaning in my life journey, a journey that I get more attached with God and positivity in life. I great attachment which I will carry on from the rest of my new journey. Its sad to say that I ended up already my 4 sessions however it was replaced of enlightenment courage what life it could be. Im wishing you(Ms Beverly) and the rest of your team to help more people experiencing difficulties straggle’s in life to enlighten and courage to love their life journey more positive way and attached to Gods purpose of life. Thank you very much and Godbless us all. ♥️
Beste Aydogan
She’s amazing. Very understanding, very attentive, very smart.
Jose Tavela
Very comfy sessions and the therapist was hyper nice and knowledgeable
Nanar Iknadiossian
My sessions have been going well so far and I’m learning so much about my feelings, etc. I feel like I can count on someone when I’m dealing with problems and to see how I can cope with them.
Elena Giappa
Honestly speaking she’s probably the best therapist I’ve ever had, if you’re looking for cbt and recovery from anxiety and ptsd she’s the one to go for. But even if you’re struggling with anger and depression, separation, commitment, family and relationship problems she’s the one to go for. I tried so many different online services and offline similarly but started to give up until I actually gave fitcy health a go who matched me up with Elena. I’ve improved a lot even my friends and family notice it. No words would describe how much I really appreciate what Elena does and has done so far. I was dreading the feedback part because I was afraid of not having much time with her but seriously I wouldn’t want those who also need the help to miss out on what she has to offer and the management told me I don’t have to worry about that 😂. Elena, you are amazing!
Suzanne Helmy
Suzzanne is a good listener… Try her best to guide me through the therapy journey but with no judgment and with great support without making me feel negative about me or about my partner.
Naina Kapoor
"Naina has been just amazing at what she does. She's always on her toes to figure out a way for all the problems I face.."
Gaston Molina
I am grateful to have a safe, non judgmental, healthy space where I can fully be myself
Emilia Chawa
I am so relieved with her, she understand where I come from, also she respect my way of expressing things, she is very easy discussing my ideas, the homework she gave helps me to open my heart and mind for different direction, am attending to continue with her for more seasons.
George Saade
"My sessions were very good. He is very caring and he listened carefully and I felt comfortable. He never saw himself someone who is better than me or look down in me. Actually, that was the most important thing to me. He showed me his interest in listening to me and that he understand what I felt which made me feel relive"
Gaston Molina
Gaston listens and gives advice in a non-judgmental and kind way. He makes me realize and understand different point of views and helps me think differently from what I’m accustomed to.
Fatima
Very well done. Fatima helped me through a lot.
Nathasha Sharma
I have been putting therapy off for about 2 years. I've always had anxiety, and occasional panic attacks due to a lot of internal and external issues with life, and basically adulthood. The catalyst was actually starting my new job. It was a whole shift and I had to make major adjustments with my life and relationships. I'm only 2 months in, and already handling more than what I'm supposed to. I found myself crying day in and day out because of this, and I would isolate myself away from family. Nathasha listened with an open mind and heart, and had compassion and empathy. She gave me tips on how to better handle myself in situations during a panic/anxiety attack, and communication tips with my boss (who is my biggest obstacle at the moment). It's only been one session, but I can't wait for the next!
Daniela
Amazing, has helped me work through lots of things, attentive and very supportive.
Gaston
honestly idk where to start, fitcy helped me find gastón and he saved my life, i have been looking for affordable therapy for soo long and for years i wasn’t able to find until i found fitcy, then found my amazing therapist gastón, i love how flexible fitcy and gastón are
Christina P
She is an excellent psychologist, really smart and insightful. She is definitely well-experienced as a psychologist as she able to understand and respond very well to my thoughts and emotions. I would definitely recommend her.
Fatima
The sessions were really helpful, it made me understand myself more and I had a noticeable improvement with my mental health.
Gaston Molina
Seeing therapists can be daunting, Gaston makes it easy. He gets it, is able to help me break things down and work through everything, he’s brilliant!
Frequenty Asked Questions
Hypochondriasis or anxiety disorder is when a person repeatedly checks the body's signs or symptoms of illness or any severe diseases. Unusually get doctor appointments and create illness scenarios in their mind. At some point, a person avoids medical care because of the fear of being diagnosed with a serious illness and consistently talking about feeling unhealthy.
Illness anxiety disorder is a specific type of anxiety about having a disease. The core symptom is illness fear and checking medical health and blood pressure or taking appointments and consultations with doctors. Anxiety disorder is very usual and must be treated by a certified Hypochondriasis therapist.
Anxiety can be treated without medicine, but a patient needs to get consistent therapy sessions. Medication may have side effects, but anxiety therapies will make your symptoms less triggered and help you to get back to your daily life routine.
What is Hypochondriasis?
Hypochondriasis or health anxiety is a mental health condition in which the individual excessively worries and fears suffering from a physical health condition. It leads to anxiety and affects the ability to function adequately in daily life. However, psychological assessment enables the specialist to diagnose the illness and utilize therapies and medications to manage the symptoms.
What Are The Known Symptoms of Hypochondriasis?
The known hypochondriasis symptoms, according to DSM-5, are:
Mentally Preoccupied
The individual remains mentally occupied with the thoughts of becoming chronically ill. It induces anxiousness and affects the ability to complete everyday tasks.
Excessive and Constant Worry
The individual excessively worries and fears they will suffer from a deadly disease that will affect their life. It affects their relationships and performance.
Conscious About Bodily Changes
The person gets easily alarmed by physical health changes. Individuals with hypochondriasis constantly monitor their bodily changes and think that body sensation is symptoms of a disease.
Feel Unassured After Tests
Individual struggles to cope with negative test results. The individual feels that the tests recommended by the doctor are not showing the results that prove they are sick.
Avoid Places and People
Hypochondriasis causes the person to feel unsafe around people and strange places. The person constantly fears that they will come in contact with bacteria, which will cause infections. The irrational fear of getting infected that can be life-threatening affects productivity and relationships.
Constantly Thinking of Appointments
The individual wants to take second opinions even after the tests come negative. They feel they should set appointments with various specialists without any physical symptoms.
What are the Complications Associated with Hypochondriasis?
The complications associated with hypochondriasis are:
Relationship Problems
The individual diagnosed with hypochondriasis remains anxious and worried about their physical health. It affects their relationships as they constantly talk about their health. The avoidance of strange places affects intimate relationships. Also, parents and siblings may become agitated by repetitive irrational behavior. Hypochondriasis affects personal and professional relationships.
Poor Performance at Work
The individual who remains mentally preoccupied with their health without exhibiting signs can lose interest in professional work. The person diagnosed with hypochondriasis struggles to focus and prioritize their work and career. Thus, they have low productivity and fewer chances of thriving in their careers and grasping better opportunities.
Financial Crisis
The person with hypochondriasis constantly spends the savings on doctors’ appointments and medical tests, which causes financial instability. People who spend on medical bills without insurance are at a higher risk of living with social and financial instability. It can lead to anxiety and other mental health problems that negatively influence the quality of life.
What Causes an Individual to Suffer from Hypochondriasis?
According to the statistical analysis of a study published on ResearchGate 9.3% of students studying at a medical school in UAE exhibited signs id health anxiety. The exact reason for suffering from hypochondriasis and related complications is not known. However, the factors that can lead to the illness are:
History of Childhood Abuse
Individuals with a traumatic childhood with mental torture are at a higher risk of exhibiting signs of hypochondriasis in later life.
Belief System
The person who feels they cannot bear pain is more likely to overthink their bodily sensations. The constant worry and fear can cause the individual to exhibit signs of hypochondriasis and suffer from the correlating complications.
Experiences
The individual with parents or close family members who excessively worry about their health can affect the thought process. Parents may become role models, which causes the child to have an excessive fear of suffering from chronic diseases.
Use of the Internet
People who search for their physical symptoms on the internet are prone to show signs of hypochondriasis.
Loss of a Loved One
People who have seen a close member of the family suffer from a deadly disease, such as cancer, which can lead to hypochondriasis. Losing a loved one can trigger hypochondriasis and affect the individual to cope with the bodily changes without fear of suffering from a life-threatening disease.
What are the Preventative Measures?
The preventive measures that can help in minimizing the chances of hypochondriasis and related complications are:
Avoid Excessive Use of the Internet to Understand the Symptoms
Individuals with a higher risk of suffering hypochondriasis must avoid using the internet to self-diagnosis the illness. It can induce anxiety and affect the ability to function adequately. It is necessary to put trust in the specialist and avoid taking second opinions.
Change Lifestyle
People who become physically active and engage in recreational activities divert their attention from physical health. It enables them to manage the symptoms of hypochondriasis.
Learn to Manage Stress
Relaxation techniques help the person remain calm and content. It allows them to understand the situation and make rational decisions about health and finances. Therefore, people must learn stress-reducing techniques to enhance their overall health.
How to Diagnose an Individual with Hypochondriasis?
The therapist will use hypochondriasis DSM 5 criteria to diagnose the illness and its severity. The hypochondriasis symptoms and psychological assessment will allow the therapist to understand the cause of the mental health illness.
What are the Effective Treatment Options for Hypochondriasis?
Psychotherapy
The therapy aims to interact with the client to understand their thought process. Cognitive behavioral therapy helps individuals with hypochondriasis to change their negative thinking and make rational decisions based on reality.
Use of Antidepressants
The individuals may suffer from extreme anxiety that affects their functioning. In such cases, the psychiatrist prescribes antidepressants to reduce mood swings and help them function adequately.
Self-Care
The individual with hypochondriasis should learn and practice relaxation techniques and avoid using illicit drugs. People may use alcohol and recreational drugs for temporary relief. It can worsen the symptoms and lead to multiple complications.
Who Can Help?
Individuals exhibiting signs of hypochondriasis must seek professional help from a competent and reliable specialist through Fitcy Health. The person may struggle to visit the therapist due to their symptoms. Hence, they can connect through Fitcy Health and have an online session for diagnosis and guidance regarding the effective treatment plan to enhance their quality of life.
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