So, is health anxiety a form of OCD?

[abi]

Just been reading about OCD and I now see that HA is a form of this?
Is this what people feel/think too?

[PhoenixGrey]

Having just seen my web history - I'd say yes, I've been suffering from depression and anxiety for just over a month - and I probably spend about 2 hours a day reading about cancer (probably about 45 minutes of that on lung cancer alone!)

Its becoming an obsession that I cannot get past!

[abi]

hmmm...yes, I read about OCD in the "free leaflet" section on here and thought that although the actions, such as hand washing etc, in themselves are different, the constant thoughts that enter a HA person's head that cause panic and fear are clearly the same as OCD thoughts? M

[amu]

I used to have OCD as a kid and then it disappeared but came back as HA when I was 23. I can see a lot of similarities, for example I compulsively check for symptoms even when I feel fine, e.g. when I found a lump under my chin I kept touching it and just couldn't stop myself even though I knew that checking it 10 times a day will definitely not make it smaller (by the way this was last year and I got over it and just checked it out of curiosity and yup it's the same size as 18 months ago ).
Also it's similar that when I feel good or happy I get an intrusive thought about how I don't "deserve" or "shouldn't" be happy as even though I feel fine now I might get sick in the future - this is very disturbing and unhealthy and very, very similar to OCD.
I think HA is kind of between general anx and OCD, as you keep dwelling and dwelling on symptoms and if you forget them for a sec you have to think even more about them after.
What helps me is that when it crosses my mind that "oh no I migh have cancer" I deliberately think "ok, this is my HA talking" and when I think "I should check again just to be sure before I go and do something else" I deliberately think out "this because of my OCD" and I try deliberately not to do it - this applies to googling, checking lumps/moles, asking for reassurance from family members.

[Franz]

Any obsessive thought or behaviour can be classified as OCD, as I see it.

I had health anxiety in my teens, now I have some kind of OCD, though I tend to call it social phobia because that makes more sense to people.

There is a certain personality type that is innately fearful, and it chooses things to be fearful of. Doesn't really matter what it is. As long as it ruins your life. My life is ruined.