Lauren Pellizzi LLC

Specialized OCD & Anxiety Treatment

Health Concern OCD

What is Health Concern OCD?

Health Concern OCD causes a person to have obsessive thoughts about developing a serious medical condition. Individuals suffering from Health Concern OCD will ruminate and worry about this fear to an unreasonable and illogical degree. These individuals are also known to seek medical help and get repeated opinions even after receiving conclusive testing. 

Common Obsessions in Health Concern OCD:

• Fear of getting HIV, cancer, or any other life-threatening medical condition
  
• Obsessing over physical sensations and what kind of medical condition they may related to
  
• Fears of having brain tumor
  
• Fear of pneumonia or lung cancer
  
• Fear of an STD
  
• Fear of having a heart attack if they feel pain in their left arm or chest
  
• Fear their appendix is bursting if they have an abdominal cramp
  

Common Compulsions in Health Concern OCD:

• Multiple visits to their doctor’s office or “doctor hopping”
  
• Repeatedly examining themselves for symptoms
  
• Researching medical conditions and syptoms online
  
• Repeatedly seeking more advanced testing
  
• Getting multiple medical examinations for one of their alleged conditions
  
• Avoiding people, objects, or situations where they may by exposed to diseases

Treatment for Health Concern OCD

​People suffering from Health Concern OCD are encouraged to seek treatment from a mental health treatment provider that specializes in the treatment of OCD.  OCD specialists are equipped and prepared to treat a wide array of OCD subtypes, including Health Concern OCD . Like all types of OCD, Health Concern OCD can be treated with a combination of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Exposure and Response Prevention.  Contact Lauren Pellizzi to start treatment. ​​