It's Not All in Your Head: How Worrying about Your Health Could Be Making You Sick--and What You Can Do about It

Studies show that one in five of us worries too much about our health. In fact, pervasive worry over preserving health or preventing disease can _itself_ become a disorder, one with very real physical and emotional consequences. The condition is known as health anxiety, and it often leads people to misinterpret minor symptoms and normal bodily sensations as the warning signs of a serious disease. In It's Not All in Your Head, health psychologists Drs. Gordon Asmundson and Steven Taylor encourage readers to consider whether excessive worry may be their greatest cause for concern. This straightforward and effective self-help program teaches sufferers how the physical side effects of anxiety--like muscle tension, nausea, or a quickened heart rate--may compound their sense that something is wrong. For anyone whose personal life or career has been disrupted by health anxiety--and for their caring yet frustrated loved ones--this compassionate, nonjudgmental, and practical book may be just what the doctor ordered.