How I treat my mild health anxiety

[Matthew1233]

I believe I am a hypochondriac (I don't have a diagnosis). It all started a year ago I'd say when a dog in the UK scratched me with it's claw, and for a few days I got worried sick that I had rabies after looking up what this cut may have been. Then a light bulb smashed over my head, I then became extremely worried I would get mercury poisoning. Next I got sunburn and my nose began to bubble and I thought I was going to get skin cancer. now it's a brain tumour. I don't even possess any symptoms, but when I look up a symptom I think I psychologically get it even though I don't think do (Ex. reading the wrong word of a page) or a muscle twitch which I get worried sick. I then rush to Google looking up symptoms making myself even more worried and it's now go to the point where I can't stop. If it helps I have started taking Prozac (I'm only 17!) for my social anxiety. Any help is appreciated.

[axolotl]

As everyone here, I can give better advice than I can take myself, but...

Resisting the urge to look on Google is the main one, it never leads to good things, as we read worrying stuff we're not qualified to understand. Start thinking it's actually quite arrogant to think you can diagnose yourself with things after ten minutes on a search engine, even though you're missing the seven years of hard work at medical school that doctors have!

And start thinking more about probability, and try and take a deep breath and let your rational brain take over. For example you're British, where rabies was eradicated decades ago. The chances of getting rabies from a British dog are almost literally zero. Of course you know all that already, and it's difficult sometimes, but try and let that side of your mind win.

Start to realise the annoying and sometimes alarming (but ultimately harmless) physical symptoms that anxiety can bring with it, and also remember even if those are ruled out there is a huge list of common "annoying but minor and temporary/treatable" things to get through before even contemplating any of the (much, much rarer) nasty things (and even nasty things are usually treatable). Don't avoid a doctor if you are worried (but see it as putting your mind at rest, not confirming something nasty), be honest about your symptoms when you speak to them, and remember they have the expertise and trust them.