An Introduction to Coping with Health Anxiety

by Brenda Hogan, Charles Young

Health anxiety affects thousands of people in the UK and it can be effectively treated with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. This introductory booklet is aimed at those for whom health anxiety has become a serious problem. Written by experienced practitioners, it explains what health anxiety is and how it makes you feel. It will help the reader to understand their symptoms and is ideal as an immediate coping strategy and as a preliminary to fuller therapy. This title covers: what health anxiety is and how it develops; physical symptoms; how to spot and challenge thoughts that make you anxious; and, reducing your focus on illness.

Genres: Nonfiction, Mental Health, Health

32 pages, Paperback

First published March 29, 2007

Reviews

[dammydoc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un breve e agile testo indirizzato a chi soffre della paura di ammalarsi.

L’ipocondria è una forma d’ansia, transitoria o permanente, a cui ciascuno cerca di far fronte elaborando strategie differenti, con il rischio di entrare in circoli viziosi che possono, in determinati casi, portare chi ne è affetto ad ammalarsi davvero.
Chi è affetto da ipocondria non di rado manifesta segni e sintomi fisici, ne accentua il significato.
Uno dei tentativi di placare l’ansia è cercare informazioni in rete: “in generale […] possiamo sicuramente affermare che cercare informazioni mediche online, o attraverso qualsiasi altra strada che non sia consultare un medico, tende ad aggravare l’ansia piuttosto che alleviarla”.

Il testo ha la finalità di fare da manuale di auto-aiuto: è corredato da una serie di esercizi volti a disinnescare l’ansia, a imparare a gestirla, a modularla. Un buon inizio per chi volesse iniziare a conoscere la problematica, certo non esaustivo.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Immediataly on reading this book I could see things I related too straight away. Throughout the whole book I felt I learnt skills and knowledge that can help me cope better than I did before.

[Nicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been having some problems with anxiety lately. Maybe not huge ones, but still, I've found myself having little panic attacks and focusing way too much on lumps, bumps and skin blemishes. I've been trying to handle it myself, though I am going to see a counsellor soon, and this book was less than £3, so I thought... why not? It explains what health anxiety is, and how it comes about, and provides a lot of different exercises to help stop you focusing on your supposed health problems.

To be honest, this guide doesn't really have that much more information than some sites online, for example this self-help guide. It's somewhat expanded, with more explanations, but you can find most of the suggested exercises online.

[Hillingdon Libraries]

Find this book at Hillingdon Libraries

[Wilde Sky · Rating 3 out of 5]

A reasonable introduction to coping with “health anxiety” but some of the advice seemed too generic.

Real rating 2.5.