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Sorting out the “TOCs” of Health Anxiety

Health anxiety symptoms can be broken up into a few specific categories. Knowing this will help you better understand the nuances and simplify the wide range of medical conditions that can be a cause of concern. These categories include triggers (T), obsessions (O), compulsions (C), and feared consequences (FC). While each of these categories will have associated content that we will discuss and give examples to below, it is important to know their role within health anxiety as well.

Specific categories of health anxiety symptoms: 

Trigger: this can be anything that is outside or inside of us that starts any health related concern.

Obsession: a concern that goes through our mind that usually (1) increases anxiety and (2) increases doubt / uncertainty about your concerns.

Compulsion: a behavioral or mental action that you do in response to the obsession to be able to (1) attempt to reduce anxiety and (2) attempt to eliminate doubt / uncertainty.

Feared Consequence: This is what you are ultimately afraid of, which is not usually just death. It could be leaving a spouse behind, leaving children, the prospect of medical treatment, or just the unknown itself. 

Below are common examples of content for each of these categories:

Common health anxiety Triggers: Health anxiety triggers are literally endless since ANYTHING can be a trigger. This can span from seeing something on a TV show, hearing a story from a friend about someone that is sick, or sensations in the body. If you can experience it, it can be a trigger.

**As an added bonus, click here if you’d like to have some fun with some terrifying health statistics that can be found in the book “The Complete Guide to Overcoming Health Anxiety: How to Live Life to the Fullest Because You’re Not Dead (Yet).”

Common health anxiety Obsessions:

  • Fear of having cancer, heart attack, or stroke 
  • Fear of having an aneurysm, brain tumor, seizure, or developing ALS
  • Fear of having a food allergy
  • Fear that a bodily sensation is indicative or something serious
  • Fear of developing a serious psychiatric illness (aka mental health anxiety)

Common health anxiety Feared Consequences:

  • Dying before living a full life
  • Becoming burdensome to your spouse or loved one
  • Missing opportunities to raise children
  • Going through endless medical treatments
  • Leaving your spouse as a widow or widower
  • Becoming disfigured or remaining physically ill until the day you die

Common health anxiety Compulsions (behavioral aka “the ones you can see”):

  • Avoiding people, places, or things that could contract an illness or disease
  • Going to excessive medical appointments
  • Rushing to the ER or urgent care
  • Seeking reassurance from loved ones
  • Searching online for symptoms and their origins

Common health anxiety Compulsions (mental aka “the ones you can’t see”):

  • Ruminating about how a symptom may be the cause for greater concern
  • Replaying in your head medical appointments or test results
  • Mentally checking on various parts of the body
  • Mentally attempting to avoid thinking about body sensations

A helpful exercise that you can try to start to do at home is to fill out your own sheet outlining your triggers, obsessions, and compulsions. Check out our sample fillable form.

Triggers

Obsessions

Compulsions: Behavioral

Compulsions: Mental

Moles, skin discoloration, bumpy nail beds

Fear that I have fast growing nail cancer

Constantly examining my skin (B), comparing my skin to Google images of skin cancer (B)

Replaying in my head what people would think of me if my skin was disfigured (M)

Thinking about when I smoke cigarettes in my college years

Fear that I have lung cancer from smoking a few times 20 years ago but haven’t smoked anything since

Taking extra breaths when exercising (B), avoiding the rear of cars so not to be near the exhaust pipe (B)

Monitoring my breathing (M), listening for wheezing (M)

When my cell phone is very close to my body

Dreading getting cancer because of any radiation or other emissions coming from my cell phone

Setting a timer so my phone is never in my pocket for more than 10 minutes (B), contacting the CDC about the possible negative affects of cell phones (B)

Wondering if the crunchy sounds coming out of the cell phone or extra cancer-causing (M)

You can now download symptom profiles from the book “The Complete Guide to Overcoming Health Anxiety: How to Live Life to the Fullest Because You’re Not Dead (Yet)” (the authors generously gave us permission to share these here. Thanks guys!!). We hope this resource provides further insight into the vast diversity of symptoms that are out there.

List 1: Triggers that lead to fear responses 

This lengthy (but never exhaustive) first list of commonly presenting TRIGGERS could be followed by almost any FEAR/OBSESSION response. We chose to present trigger-obsession tandems that are easily connected to one another. As you will see, anything can trigger a fear of health concerns. Knowing what your triggers are sets you up to be better prepared to manage them when they arise.

List 2: Triggers that lead to fear responses 

Let’s shift attention to many of the behavioral and mental rituals (also called compulsions, safety behaviors, and avoidance) that are commonly present in therapy, and some not-so-common ones. We will be shocked if most of your rituals are not represented below. If they are not, that’s okay, if you know what they are and when they show up.

So, are your TOCs (Triggers, Obsessions, and Compulsions) listed below? If not, we hope you have your medical provider on speed dial. It’s time to tie up loose ends and make sure your valuables are secure, call your lawyer and get will and estate planning up to date, and make sure your loved ones know your passwords to all bank accounts. Enjoy!

Click the buttons below for downloadable/printable forms.

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This website is an online resource designed to empower you on your personal growth journey to overcome health anxiety. Online resources can provide valuable insights, practical tips, and motivation for positive change. However, it’s important to acknowledge their limitations. This website is not a substitute for professional psychological services, nor is it designed to assess or diagnose your particular situation. While the guidance and recommendations within this site can offer support, practical exercises, and encouragement, it may not address your specific circumstances or replace the expertise of trained professionals. Mental health issues are complex and multifaceted, requiring personalized, evidence-based interventions tailored to individual needs. If you find yourself struggling with persistent feelings of sadness, anxiety, or any other mental health concern, we urge you to seek help from a licensed mental health professional. Your mental health is a priority.

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