Do you worry excessively about your health? — measure illness fear, body-checking, and reassurance-seeking with our free 15-question health anxiety assessment. Instant results.
Health anxiety — clinically termed Illness Anxiety Disorder (IAD) or previously known as hypochondria — is a condition characterised by persistent, excessive preoccupation with having or developing a serious medical illness. People with health anxiety interpret normal bodily sensations as signs of catastrophic disease, and this fear persists even after medical evaluation finds no evidence of illness.
With the rise of internet symptom searches (a phenomenon now called "cyberchondria"), health anxiety has become increasingly prevalent. Estimates suggest that 4–5% of the population meets the criteria for a health anxiety disorder, and many more experience subclinical levels of health-related worry.
Our free health anxiety test measures illness preoccupation, body-checking behaviours, reassurance-seeking, medical avoidance, and the impact on daily functioning — providing an instant score and a personalised plan.
Our assessment is inspired by the clinically validated Health Anxiety Inventory (HAI) — a gold-standard tool used by psychologists to measure health anxiety severity. Unlike a simple health test online, this health anxiety questionnaire captures both the cognitive dimension (catastrophic interpretation of symptoms) and the behavioural dimension (body checking, reassurance-seeking, and medical avoidance). It also screens for overlap with health anxiety OCD — a pattern where illness fears become compulsive and intrusive.
Common Symptoms of Health Anxiety
Constant worry about having or developing a serious illness
Repeatedly checking your body for lumps, rashes, or other abnormalities
Frequently Googling symptoms and being convinced by worst-case results
Seeking repeated reassurance from doctors, family, or friends
Avoiding medical appointments for fear of receiving bad news
Interpreting normal physical sensations as signs of disease
Difficulty being reassured even after normal test results
Health fears that shift from one illness to another over time
What Causes Health Anxiety?
Health anxiety often develops following a significant health event — either personally or in a close relative — that sensitises a person to bodily symptoms. Growing up in a household where illness was discussed frequently or where a parent had health anxiety can also be a risk factor.
Psychologically, health anxiety is maintained by attentional biases (noticing every bodily sensation), catastrophic misinterpretation of symptoms, and safety behaviours (checking, reassurance-seeking, avoiding) that prevent the anxiety from naturally extinguishing.
When to Seek Professional Support
If health anxiety is consuming significant time each day, preventing you from working or enjoying life, or causing you to make repeated medical visits without relief, professional help is strongly recommended. CBT has the strongest evidence base for health anxiety and is available both in-person and online. Your GP can provide a referral or advise on local mental health resources.
Health anxiety (also known as illness anxiety disorder or hypochondria) is characterised by excessive preoccupation with having or developing a serious illness, despite medical reassurance. Sufferers frequently check their bodies for symptoms, seek repeated medical consultations, or conversely avoid doctors out of fear of bad news.
Yes. Health anxiety is recognised in the DSM-5 as Illness Anxiety Disorder and Somatic Symptom Disorder. It affects an estimated 4–5% of the general population and can cause significant distress and impairment. The anxiety itself is real even when the feared illness is not.
Internet symptom searches (cyberchondria) reinforce health anxiety because search algorithms surface worst-case scenarios. Each search provides temporary relief followed by new worries about symptoms that were previously unnoticed, creating a compulsive cycle that drives health anxiety higher.
Yes — this is one of the most distressing aspects of health anxiety. Anxiety itself produces real physical symptoms including palpitations, chest tightness, dizziness, stomach pain, and tingling. Sufferers often interpret these anxiety symptoms as evidence of serious illness, creating a reinforcing loop.
CBT is the most effective treatment for health anxiety. It targets the thought patterns (catastrophising, selective attention to symptoms) and behaviours (body checking, Googling, repeated reassurance-seeking) that maintain health anxiety. Exposure and response prevention (ERP) techniques help reduce body-checking compulsions.
The Health Anxiety Inventory (HAI) is a validated 18-item questionnaire developed by Salkovskis and Warwick to measure health anxiety severity across two dimensions: perceived likelihood of illness and feared negative consequences. Our free health anxiety questionnaire is inspired by the HAI framework and adapted for self-scoring online — measuring the same core constructs of illness preoccupation, body checking, reassurance-seeking, and medical avoidance, with an instant self-score and personalised guidance.
Medical Disclaimer
This content is for educational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. If symptoms are severe or persistent, consult a qualified healthcare professional.
