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02 September 2010

Health anxiety can be more destructive than illness itself

Statistics are showing that one to two per cent of the population has an irrational fear of being seriously ill - a figure that is set to rise.*

A major implication of this condition, called pathological health anxiety, is that both money and time could be wasted within the NHS that could have been used for patients who have a genuine illness.

Pathological health anxiety (previously known as hypochondria) is a preoccupation or worry about having a serious illness when in actual fact the person is perfectly healthy. It is characterised by the excessive seeking of reassurance from doctors or family members.  

Catherine O'Neill, Services Manager at the helpline charity Anxiety UK, said: “Pathological health anxiety is one of the things we get most calls about. The common fears are HIV, cancer and illnesses at the more severe end of the spectrum.

“Quite often, we get people who nursed someone through cancer and they become preoccupied with the thought that they have the disease too, or it develops because they have heard or read about someone with the illness."

Westfield Health’s Chamber Primary Health Plan is available to all members of the Isle of Wight Chamber of Commerce and provides employees with access to a 24-hour freephone counselling and advice line and up to six face-to-face counselling sessions. The service provides round the clock access to teams of qualified and experienced counsellors and medical staff who can discuss and offer advice on a variety of issues including stress and anxiety.

In addition, a GP telephone consultation benefit enables employees to speak to a fully qualified UK GP at a time convenient to them.

For more information about the Chamber Primary Health Plan, please visit www.westfieldhealth.com/chamber  or call Westfield Health on 0845 602 1629, available 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday.