I Avoid Doctors, Hospitals or Health Information Because They Frighten Me
Health anxiety does not always lead to more appointments and more searching.
Health anxiety does not always lead to more appointments and more searching.
Sometimes it does the opposite.
You may avoid opening medical letters, delay making an appointment, turn off programmes that mention illness, refuse to discuss health or feel unable to visit somebody in hospital because the anxiety becomes overwhelming.
The NHS recognises avoiding things connected with serious illness as one possible health-anxiety pattern.
Avoidance can feel protective in the short term
If something frightens you, staying away from it can bring immediate relief.
The difficulty is that avoidance can teach your mind that the situation was too dangerous to face.
Over time, the list of things you avoid may grow: medical conversations, news stories, appointments, certain places or ordinary activities that make you notice your body.
Do not use anxiety advice to avoid necessary medical care
This boundary matters.
If you have been advised to attend an appointment, test, screening programme or follow-up, or you have a physical-health concern that needs professional assessment, MH360 cannot advise you to avoid or delay it.
Discuss difficulties attending with the healthcare service involved. They may be able to explain what will happen or consider reasonable ways to support you.
Work out what part you are actually afraid of
“Hospitals frighten me” can contain several different fears.
Perhaps you are afraid of receiving bad news, seeing illness, losing control, having a procedure, hearing medical terminology or noticing sensations in your own body.
Naming the feared part can make the problem more workable than treating all healthcare as one enormous threat.
Rebuilding ordinary life can be part of recovery
The NHS suggests gradually returning to activities people have been avoiding because of health worries.
For you, that might mean re-engaging with ordinary exercise, social activities or places that anxiety has made feel unsafe.
This is different from deciding for yourself that a medical appointment is unnecessary.
Where avoidance concerns healthcare itself, discuss it with the relevant healthcare professional or a mental-health professional.
When avoidance is restricting your life
If fear of illness is preventing you accessing appropriate healthcare, interfering with relationships or stopping normal activities, seek support.
NHS Talking Therapies treats health anxiety and can be accessed by adults in England through self-referral.
You do not need to become interested in illness. The aim is for fear of illness to stop deciding where you can go and what you can do.
Last reviewed
6 September 2026
Important health anxiety and medical information
This guide provides general information about health anxiety and mental wellbeing only. MH360 is not a medical diagnosis service and cannot assess physical symptoms, diagnose medical conditions, interpret medical tests or provide advice about whether a symptom may indicate a particular medical condition.
New, changing, persistent or concerning physical symptoms, questions about an existing medical condition, and concerns about medical tests or treatment should be discussed with your GP, NHS service or another appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Do not use this guide to decide whether a physical symptom needs medical assessment or to replace medical advice you have been given. If you are unsure whether a symptom needs medical attention, seek advice from an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
If worry about your health is persistent, is taking over significant amounts of your time, or is affecting everyday life, speak to your GP or an appropriately qualified mental-health professional. Adults in England can also self-refer to NHS Talking Therapies for anxiety and depression, which includes support for health anxiety.
If you or somebody else is in immediate danger or there is a life-threatening emergency, call 999 or go to A&E.