Many people in the UK suffer from health anxiety, and it's a difficult condition to break free from without some kind of professional help. However, it's not always clear what type of treatment is suitable for each individual case. This is why ManageMinds has created the HA-7 questionnaire. Our quick and easy assessment can shed light on the severity of your health anxiety and point you in the direction of the help and support you need.

What is health anxiety?

Health anxiety is an anxiety disorder that is characterised by a preoccupation with one's health and wellbeing. Those with the condition often convince themselves that they are suffering from at least one serious illness, despite little to no evidence that this is actually the case. Common symptoms of health anxiety include:

• Constantly worrying about health
• Repeatedly checking the body for signs of illness
• Searching illnesses and their symptoms online
• Seeking reassurance from loved ones and medical professionals
• Avoiding events and responsibilities due to a perceived illness

These behaviours can become very obsessive in nature and may completely take over a person's life. You can find more examples in our article covering health anxiety habits.

What is HA-7?

The HA-7 is a health anxiety questionnaire designed by ManageMinds. We based it on the GAD-7, created by Robert Spitzer et al, which is a scientifically-backed questionnaire that screens for generalised anxiety disorder. Though just as straightforward and informative as the GAD-7, the questions on the HA-7 focus specifically on health anxiety and thus offer a more accurate assessment for those dealing with this particular condition.

The self-assessment requires you to answer 7 questions, all pertaining to your mental state over the past 2 weeks. It only takes a few minutes to complete, and at the end you will be provided with your personal health anxiety score. Health anxiety levels are calculated as follows:

• Minimal 0-4
• Mild 5-9
• Moderate 10-14
• Severe 15+

Your results will provide more detail about what your severity level means, as well as recommending a particular course of treatment.

I have my health anxiety score—what's next?

Completing the HA-7 assessment is the first step in taking control of your mental wellbeing. What the next step looks like is completely up to you. You might want to start with some of the self-help techniques covered in our blog.

If you feel that you would benefit from talking to a professional about your health anxiety, then ManageMinds offers a number of therapy services that are suitable for you.

You could start with a single therapy session with one of our anxiety specialists. This gives you the opportunity to get a feel for our services and see if your therapist is a good match. Alternatively, if your health anxiety is starting to interfere with your daily life, consider our Beat Health Anxiety Programme. This bespoke service includes 6 sessions of therapy designed to combat the causes of your health anxiety and provide you with the tools and knowledge to manage your condition and start living the life you deserve.

Finally, if you're not yet ready to talk directly to a therapist, but want to access professional help you can try one of our self-help courses. They include worksheets and video sessions from our Senior Therapist, Kathryn Taylor.

All of the above options are available to book online.

Note: If your health anxiety score is in the severe category and your life is becoming unmanageable, we also recommend talking to your GP to discuss all options available to you.

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We hope our HA-7 questionnaire becomes a useful tool in your journey to improved mental health. It is normal for health anxiety levels to rise and fall at different points in life. Taking this self-assessment every few weeks or so will allow you to keep track of your wellbeing and maybe even notice some triggers that need to be addressed.

Looking for a similar tool to measure general anxiety? Take our GAD-7 questionnaire.