Is worrying about getting cancer taking over your life?

It's perfectly normal for people to worry about their health.  It's important to be aware of your body and any changes so that you can take care of yourself and visit your doctor if you need to.  Some people may go through phases in their life when they're more concerned than usual but find that there isn't anything wrong.  This is often a response to something that's happening around them - such as a friend becoming seriously ill - or a high impact story in the media.

However, for a minority of people, thoughts about getting a condition such as cancer dominate their thoughts and actions.  They may not be able to identify what triggered this worry or when it started. But they may find that these anxieties increase over time to a point where it affects their everyday life.

This could result in a person constantly looking at their body for signs of illness and endless visits to the doctor.  They might have lots of tests but even a normal result won't help as they truly believe that they have a condition that hasn't been detected.  

It can be very distressing to live with this anxiety but help is available. The first big step is recognising that anxiety about health has become a problem.  Then it can help to talk to the GP about it. Sometimes it can be hard to know what to say or how to get across how much of an impact it's having.  It can help to write it down before the appointment so that there is something to focus on.

The National Phobics' Society is also a helpful point of contact.  They provide information and support about the different anxiety disorders, including health anxieties around cancer.