Reviewed by: Assel Omarova, MD, psychiatrist and addiction specialist · updated 6 Nov 2026
Key facts
- ICD-10 code
- F45.2
- Who leads care
- A psychiatrist and a CBT psychotherapist
- Format
- Video consultations, CBT sessions, work on health-related searching
- Duration
- First appointment 50 minutes; a CBT course usually takes 12–16 sessions
- Confidentiality
- Medical confidentiality under the Kazakhstan Code “On Public Health”
- When it is urgent
- New acute symptoms — call 103 or 112; despair or suicidal thoughts — also 150
- Outcome
- Health anxiety fades, with less checking and fewer unnecessary tests
What you should know
Hypochondria is not “made-up illnesses” or a bid for attention. The person genuinely experiences intense fear and real bodily sensations, which they interpret as signs of serious disease. A normal test result brings relief for a few days, and then the doubts return: “what if they missed something,” “I need to check again.” This creates a cycle of tests, internet searches, and consultations that wears a person down and does not relieve the anxiety.
Why does the online format suit health anxiety? Because treatment is aimed not at searching for a disease but at working with the anxiety, and visits to medical facilities can themselves make it worse. At Psychiatry Online, a psychiatrist and psychotherapist provide treatment over video, from your home or office. This is also convenient with a packed work schedule: there is no need to travel across the city yet again — for example, from the left bank to the Saryarka district — for a consultation.
Signs and Symptoms of Hypochondria
- a constant fear that you have a serious illness, despite normal test results
- frequently checking your body: pulse, moles, lymph nodes, blood pressure
- spending hours searching online for information about symptoms and diseases
- repeated tests and consultations with different doctors
- brief relief after a good result, followed by doubts quickly returning
- avoiding news, conversations, or places associated with illness
- constantly asking loved ones to confirm that everything is fine
If at least two points apply and the state lasts longer than two weeks, it is worth seeing a specialist. Phone consultation is free. If life is at risk, call 112 or 103.
What Causes Hypochondria
The cognitive model explains hypochondria through a combination of heightened attention to bodily sensations and catastrophic interpretation of them. Ordinary sensations — a racing heart, tingling, a headache — are perceived as signs of a dangerous disease. Predisposing factors include experience of serious illness in oneself or loved ones, an anxious temperament, and beliefs about health formed in childhood. The trigger is often the death of an acquaintance or news about someone’s illness.
The disorder is maintained by so-called safety behaviors: checking, searching for information, repeat tests, and seeking reassurance. They reduce anxiety for a short time but reinforce the belief that the danger is real. Chronic stress, the demanding schedules of the civil service and offices, too little rest, and a long winter with short days raise overall anxiety and sensitivity to bodily sensations.
How Online Treatment for Hypochondria Works
At the first video consultation, the doctor asks which diseases worry you, how often you check your body, search for information, and see doctors, and which tests you have already had. Prepare a list of your recent tests and their results — this helps avoid ordering unnecessary ones. The specialist gently explains how health anxiety works and draws up a plan together with you. You will need headphones, a quiet place, and a stable connection.
A physical examination and tests cannot be done online. If new or changed symptoms appear that have not been checked before, the doctor will refer you for an in-person examination — an honest assessment is important so that a real problem is not missed. For acute symptoms — severe pain, shortness of breath, loss of consciousness — call 103 or 112. If you have suicidal thoughts, also call 150.
How we help
Cognitive behavioral therapy
CBT is the method with the strongest evidence base for health anxiety. The specialist helps you see how attention to your body and catastrophic interpretations keep the fear going. Instead of arguing about whether a disease is present, you consider an alternative explanation — that the problem is anxiety, not illness — and test it through experience.
Reducing checking and searching
Gradually cutting back on body checks, internet searches, and requests for reassurance is a key behavioral component. First you track how often you do them, then you reduce them together with the specialist. Anxiety may rise at first but then falls, and the brain learns that nothing terrible happens without checking.
Managing medical visits
The specialist helps you set up a sensible plan for medical follow-up: regular scheduled checkups with one doctor instead of frequent unscheduled visits to different specialists. This reduces anxiety and helps ensure real problems are not missed. It is important that the plan is agreed with your general practitioner and clear to you in advance.
Medication
For severe health anxiety or co-occurring depression, clinical guidelines recommend antidepressants from certain classes, often combined with CBT. At Psychiatry Online, the class of medication and the length of treatment are decided by the psychiatrist, and the decision is made together with the patient after diagnosis and a discussion of alternatives.
Myths and facts
MythA hypochondriac just makes up illnesses
FactA person with hypochondria genuinely experiences intense fear and real bodily sensations. The problem is not invention but the way the brain interprets these sensations. It is a recognized disorder that responds well to treatment.
MythOne more test and everything will become clear
FactIn hypochondria, a normal result brings only brief relief, and the doubts return. Each new test reinforces the anxiety cycle. Treatment targets the mechanism of anxiety itself, not the search for a disease.
MythTreating hypochondria could mean missing a real illness
FactTreatment does not mean giving up medical care. The specialist helps you set up a sensible follow-up plan and honestly refers you for tests when new symptoms appear. This is safer than chaotic visits to different doctors.
How an online appointment works
- Message or callWrite on WhatsApp or call — our coordinator replies within minutes, day or night. You don't have to give your surname.
- Doctor and timeWe match you with a psychiatrist, addiction specialist or psychotherapist and agree on a time — often the same day.
- Video consultationA secure 50–60 minute video call: the doctor takes a detailed history and uses standardised scales if needed.
- Treatment planYou receive a clear summary, recommendations and a plan: what we do online and what needs an in-person visit or home call.
- Follow-upOnline follow-up sessions, messenger contact with your doctor, and treatment adjustments until you get a stable result.
Prices in Astana
| Online psychiatrist consultation (50–60 min) | 15 000 ₸ |
| Follow-up online consultation | 12 000 ₸ |
| One month of online psychiatric care | 60 000 ₸ |
The final cost is agreed before treatment starts. Prices are in tenge and do not constitute a public offer.
Where to get help
An online consultation for “Health anxiety (hypochondria) treatment online” is available to people across Astana and Akmola Region 24/7 — from home, work or while travelling. For an in-person visit, Psychiatry Online in Astana has two branches: 72 Bogenbay batyra St., Astana and 37 Petrova St., office 23, Astana. Doctor home visits: all city districts and nearby settlements.
Confidential and private
Information about your visit, diagnosis and treatment is protected by medical confidentiality under the Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan “On Public Health and the Healthcare System”. We never share it with your employer, school or relatives without your consent; the only exceptions are those expressly set out by law. For an online consultation your first name is enough, video runs over a secure channel and nothing is recorded without your consent.
Questions and answers
How can I tell that health anxiety has become a disorder?
If the fear of illness persists for more than six months despite normal test results, you spend a lot of time checking and searching for information, and the anxiety interferes with work and relationships, it is worth seeing a psychiatrist. It is treatable.
Why don’t good test results reassure me?
In hypochondria, the brain treats a normal result as temporary relief rather than proof of safety. New doubts soon appear. That is exactly why treatment targets the mechanism of anxiety itself rather than new tests.
What should I do if I really want to look up my symptoms online?
Searching online usually increases anxiety, because it brings up the most serious possibilities. Try postponing the check for a set amount of time and notice how your anxiety changes. In therapy, you practice this gradually with the specialist.
How long does treatment take?
A CBT course usually takes 12–16 sessions, and the first changes are often noticeable within a few weeks. If medication is prescribed, it is taken for several months after improvement. The doctor will discuss the timeline after diagnosis and the first sessions.
How can I help a loved one with hypochondria?
Constant reassurance that “everything is fine” lowers anxiety only briefly and keeps the cycle going. It is better to calmly express sympathy and encourage them to see a psychiatrist. The specialist can also hold a consultation for the family to help you develop a supportive approach.
Is it confidential?
Yes. Information about your consultation is protected by medical confidentiality under the Kazakhstan Code “On Public Health and the Healthcare System.” You can seek help anonymously, and information may be disclosed only in cases expressly provided for by law.
Where can I be seen in Astana?
Online — from anywhere in the city or region. In person — at two branches: 72 Bogenbay batyra St., Astana and 37 Petrova St., office 23, Astana. Both are open 24/7; home visits cover all city districts and nearby settlements.
Sources and methodology
This page was prepared by the Psychiatry Online medical editorial team based on:
- International Classification of Diseases ICD-10 and ICD-11, World Health Organization
- Clinical diagnosis and treatment protocols of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan
- Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan “On Public Health and the Healthcare System”
- NICE (UK) and APA (US) guidelines on the treatment of mental disorders
- WHO recommendations on telemedicine and digital health
This information is for reference only and does not replace a consultation with a specialist. Editorial policy
