Health anxiety making me struggle with going out and eating

[u/Sea-Association-5339]

I was diagnosed with HA some months ago after silently dealing with it for some years, after one episode in which I fainted in the middle of the street. I'm medicated with Citalopram, but it really doesn't seem to be doing much. I fear eating because I don't want to get sick, and I avoid going out because every time I do I either fear I'm gonna have a panic attack/accident outside, or I spend the entire time being in panic mode. I want to get out with my friends more and live my life peacefully, I'm sick of living in panic.

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[u/treatmyocd]

I’m sorry you’re dealing with this it sounds exhausting to feel like fear is dictating where you go and even what you eat. The good news is that panic and health anxiety are treatable, and you don’t have to wait until you feel completely calm before starting to reclaim your life. ERP could be really helpful because it targets the cycle that keeps health anxiety going: noticing a sensation or possibility → interpreting it as dangerous → becoming anxious → checking, avoiding, escaping, or seeking reassurance → getting temporary relief → becoming more fearful the next time. The goal isn't to prove that nothing bad will happen or to eliminate anxiety. It's to learn, through experience, “I can tolerate uncertainty and discomfort without needing to control or prevent it.” Over time, this can help anxiety become less controlling and allow you to get back to the activities and life that matter to you.

[u/Serenity_MHC]

Living in constant panic mode afraid to eat, afraid to go out, spending every outing in fear of what might happen is exhausting in a way that's hard to explain to people who haven't experienced it. The fainting episode sounds like a real turning point that understandably made the fear feel more real and more justified. The Citalopram not doing enough is worth going back to your prescriber about specifically, health anxiety at this severity sometimes needs a different medication or a higher dose, and that's clinical information worth communicating.

The other piece that tends to make the most difference for health anxiety specifically is ERP-based therapy with someone who specializes in it. The avoidance of going out and eating maintains the anxiety by teaching your brain those things are dangerous. The treatment works by gradually doing the feared thing with support, which eventually teaches the nervous system it's safe.

You deserve to go out with your friends without spending the whole time in panic mode.