Health Anxiety vs. OCD: Understanding the Difference
Many people in Fort Lauderdale, experience persistent worries about their health—checking symptoms online, visiting multiple doctors, or feeling anxious after every small ache or sensation. While this can look like Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), it may actually be Health Anxiety, also known as Illness Anxiety Disorder. Understanding the difference between these two conditions is key to finding the right treatment and lasting relief.
What Is Health Anxiety?
Health Anxiety occurs when someone becomes overly focused on their physical health and fears they may have or will develop a serious illness. Even after receiving reassurance from doctors, the worry returns. People with health anxiety often find themselves:
Repeatedly checking their body for signs of illness
Searching the internet for medical explanations
Seeking constant reassurance from family, friends, or physicians
Over time, this cycle of fear and reassurance can take over daily life, increasing stress and keeping the brain in a constant state of alert.
What Is OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder)?
While health anxiety focuses on illness fears, OCD involves intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviors aimed at reducing distress. Someone with OCD may worry about contamination, harm, or mistakes and feel compelled to perform rituals such as handwashing, checking, or mental counting to “feel safe.”
In health-related OCD, a person may fear becoming sick but also engage in rituals—like repeatedly getting blood tests, cleaning excessively, or mentally reviewing symptoms—to neutralize the anxiety. The main difference is that OCD is driven by a cycle of obsessions and compulsions, not just health worries, and that OCD often contains many intrusive thoughts not just exclusively health worries.
Key Differences Between Health Anxiety and OCD
How ERP and CBT Help
At Still Minds Psychology in Fort Lauderdale, we use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) to help clients manage anxiety and OCD.
For Health Anxiety, CBT helps clients challenge unhelpful thoughts about illness, reduce body-checking, and build tolerance for uncertainty. This often also involves exposure work.
For OCD, ERP therapy helps clients face fears directly without engaging in compulsive rituals—training the brain to no longer respond with anxiety.
These evidence-based therapies empower you to regain control of your thoughts and live with greater calm and confidence.
When to Seek Help
If your health worries or repetitive behaviors are affecting your relationships, sleep, or peace of mind, therapy can help. At Still Minds Psychology, we specialize in OCD treatment and anxiety therapy for clients in Fort Lauderdale, Plantation, Davie, and Hollywood, FL.
We offer compassionate, individualized care designed to help you understand your anxiety, break free from obsessive thought patterns, and feel more grounded in your daily life.
Start Feeling Better Today
Don’t let worry about your health control your life. Schedule a consultation with Still Minds Psychology in Fort Lauderdale to learn how ERP therapy and CBT for health anxiety can help you find lasting relief. Learn more about health anxiety treatment st Still Minds Psychology here.
📍 Serving clients across Fort Lauderdale, Plantation, Davie, Hollywood, and South Florida
