Key Takeaways
- Nosophobia is the fear of getting a specific disease and can cause anxiety.
- It is different from illness anxiety disorder, which is the fear of any illness.
- Therapy and lifestyle changes can help manage nosophobia.
Nosophobia is an irrational and persistent fear of having or developing a specific, serious medical condition such as cancer.
While many people experience anxiety about their health, people with nosophobia cannot control their fear. However, there are ways to manage this anxiety, including therapy and lifestyle changes.
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What is Nosophobia?
People with nosophobia experience anxiety around a particular medical condition. They may fear conditions discussed in the media, like AIDS in the 1980s and COVID-19 in 2020. Fears about heart disease and cancer are also common.
Someone with nosophobia may experience severe anxiety or panic attacks triggered by anything that reminds them of their health-related anxiety, such as a news story or the illness of a friend or relative. They might stay at home or practice other avoidant behaviors due to fear of infection.
Nosophobia vs. Illness Anxiety Disorder
Nosophobia should not be confused with hypochondria, now known as illness anxiety disorder, which is the fear of developing any illness. Nosophobia is the fear of developing a specific chronic disease or medical condition. There are important differences between the two:
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Fear contracting or developing a specific, well-known disease.
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Experience isolated episodes of fear or panic triggered by any mention of the feared illness.
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Have no symptoms at all but still worry they have/will be diagnosed with the feared illness.
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Tend to avoid thinking about the feared illness, and avoid people and places associated with it.
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Fear illness generally/believe they are ill despite evidence to the contrary.
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Experience continual fear and preoccupation with illness.
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Monitor bodily functions frequently and seek constant reassurance concerning any minor symptoms.
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Tend to obsess over illness generally, speak about it often, and overshare health concerns.
If you suspect you have either nosophobia or illness anxiety disorder, your healthcare provider can help.
Causes
There are various possible causes for the development of nosophobia, including co-occurring mental health conditions, environmental factors, and personal history. Some of the most common causes of nosophobia include:
- Experiencing a serious childhood illness.
- Experiencing the illness-related loss of a family member.
- A family history of sickness or disease.
- Having certain mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
- Being raised by a parent with illness-related anxiety or phobias.
- Exposure to media reports about widespread health problems, such as COVID-19.
Symptoms of Nosophobia
Some specific features of nosophobia make it unique from other health anxieties:
- People are unlikely to start fearing medical conditions other than the one they are worried about.
- Anxiety typically comes in attacks, rather than continuously.
- Avoidance of the feared disease is a major symptom.
However, most of the symptoms of nosophobia, like other specific phobias, are similar to symptoms of other anxiety disorders.
Signs and symptoms of nosophobia may include:
- Persistent research of a specific disease
- Anxiety concerning health, minor symptoms, and normal bodily functions (e.g., digestion, heart rate, temperature)
- Panic attacks
- Shortness of breath
- Dizziness
- Rapid heart rate
- Nausea
- Excessive sweating
- Difficulty sleeping and/or nightmares
- Avoidant behaviors aimed at lowering specific disease risk
Diagnosis
A qualified mental health professional can diagnose you with nosophobia based on the criteria for specific phobias in the DSM-5. To be considered a specific phobia, your fear of getting sick must meet the following conditions:
- Your fear of illness is lasting, not situational or temporary, with anxiety persisting for six months or more.
- The fear of getting sick interferes with other aspects of your daily life, such as work, school, or relationships.
- Your fear and anxiety are disproportionate to the actual risk involved. For example, if someone is actually at high risk of developing a disease, they may not be considered to have nosophobia.
Ruling Out Alternatives to Nosophobia
Before you seek treatment from a mental health professional for nosophobia, your healthcare provider should rule out any possible physical illness. If you’re having symptoms that worry you, you can talk to your healthcare provider about your concerns.
Treatment
Since nosophobia is an anxiety disorder, treating someone’s underlying anxiety through other methods can also help. For example, prescription anti-anxiety medication or antidepressants may provide relief.
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy, or talk therapy, can also help. The following types may be used for nosophobia:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): The preferred treatment for specific phobias. A therapist can help someone with nosophobia identify negative thought patterns about their health to change them. They can also help to target unwanted behaviors, such as avoidance behaviors, and change them over time.
- Exposure therapy: This therapy allows people to confront their fears in a safe environment. It is most often used for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment, but some studies have shown it can help with nosophobia as well. Both PTSD and nosophobia have avoidance as a major symptom, which exposure therapy addresses.
Lifestyle Changes
Additionally, some of the following techniques can help manage anxiety about disease:
- Learning more about the feared disease through reliable sources (such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Avoiding excessive media coverage and social media posts about the feared disease
- Practicing mindfulness and meditating
- Exercise such as walking or doing yoga
- Support groups like the ASoA Health Anxiety Support Group (which meets by Zoom)
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