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Posts tagged "hypochondria"

How do You Interpret Symptoms and Bodily Sensations? Learn How Not to Catastrophize.

Oct 26, 2023 Posted by: Brittney Chesworth biased information processing, bodily sensations, body noise, catastrophize, cognitive behavioral therapy, cognitive restructuring, core beliefs, health anxiety, hypochondria, symptoms

Health anxiety leads us to assume all or most symptoms or bodily sensations are indicative of a serious disease. However, our bodies are "noisy." Learn about the common sources of body noise so you can reshape your beliefs around this and refrain from automatically assuming you have a serious disease.

How Cognitive Biases can Intensify Health Anxiety

Oct 05, 2023 Posted by: Brittney Chesworth anxiety, biased information processing, bodily sensations, health anxiety, hypochondria, memory bias, symptoms

When we hold dysfunctional beliefs about disease, information processing biases strengthen our beliefs. One type of information bias is the memory bias, in which we selectively recall threatening data. One way to correct biased information processing is to collect data to assess the accuracy of memories.

How Anxiety about Health can Disrupt Someone's Life

Sep 27, 2023 Posted by: Brittney Chesworth anxiety, core beliefs, cycle of health anxiety, fear of disease, health anxiety, hypochondria, safety behaviors, symptoms

People with severe health anxiety hold dysfunctional or maladaptive beliefs about health and illness. Dysfunctional beliefs develop early in life and are strengthened through reinforcement. Dysfunctional beliefs enter one into a cycle of unhelpful thoughts and behaviors that worsens health anxiety. Cognitive behavioral therapy aims to interrupt this cycle by modifying maladaptive beliefs, thinking errors, and safety behaviors.

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