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

225 Pages·2005·0.79 MB·English

by  Gordon J. G. Asmundson PhD

It’s Not All in Your Head
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It’s Not All in
Your Head
How Worrying about Your Health
Could Be Making You Sick—
and What You Can Do about It
Gordon J. G. Asmundson, PhD
Steven Taylor, PhD
THE GUILFORD PRESS
New York London
©2005TheGuilfordPress
ADivisionofGuilfordPublications,Inc.
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www.guilford.com
Allrightsreserved
Theinformationinthisvolumeisnotintendedasasubstituteforconsultationwith
healthcareprofessionals.Eachindividual’shealthconcernsshouldbeevaluatedbya
qualifiedprofessional.
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Thecopyrightholdergrantstoindividualpurchasersofthisbooknonassignable
permissiontoreproduceWorksheets1–17onpages186–206.Thislicenseislimitedto
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beobtainedinwritingfromthePermissionsDepartmentofGuilfordPublications.
Asmundson,GordonJ.G.
It’snotallinyourhead:howworryingaboutyourhealthcouldbemakingyou
sick—andwhatyoucandoaboutit/GordonJ.G.Asmundson,StevenTaylor.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN1-57230-993-8(pbk.)—ISBN1-59385-146-4(cloth)
1. Health—Psychologicalaspects. 2. Compulsivebehavior. 3. Health—
Miscellanea. I. Taylor,Steven,1960– II. Title.
RC533.A852005
616.85′84—dc22
2004025955
To my amazing parents,
Calvin (who passed away during the writing of this book)
and Eileen, who taught me to soar,
and to my beautiful daughter and wife,
Aleiia and Kimberley,
who keep me well grounded
—G. J. G. A.
To Amy Sue Janeck and Alex Janeck Taylor
—S. T.
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Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Preface xi
Part I
UNDERSTANDING HEALTH ANXIETY
One Do I Worry Too Much about My Health? 3
Two Body and Brain: It’s Not All in Your Head 18
Three Do I Have Some Other Anxiety Disorder? 33
Four Sick and Sad: Am I Depressed, Too? 46
Part II
BREAKING THE HEALTH ANXIETY CYCLE
Five Understanding and Managing Stress 59
Six Thoughts That Influence Your Anxiety and How to Change Them 80
Seven Behaviors That Influence Your Anxiety and How to Change Them 104
vii
viii Contents
Part III
MAINTAINING YOUR GAINS
Eight Dealing with Doctors 135
Nine Helping Friends and Family Help You 146
Ten Living Life and Maintaining Your Gains 157
Resources 175
Worksheets 183
Index 207
About the Authors 211
Acknowledgments
Wewouldliketothankseveralpeoplefortheirsupportduringthewritingofthis
book. Kitty Moore, Executive Editor, encouraged us to take on this project and
made working with The Guilford Press a pleasure. The thoughtful critiques of
Christine Benton and Ron and Judy Norton helped us improve the content and
readabilityofmanychapters.ThanksalsotoJohnWalkerforgenerouslysharing
his time and ideas about the treatment of health anxiety and to the many
patients who have taught us so much from their personal experiences with
health anxiety. Last, but certainly not least, we are grateful to our families for
their unwavering love and never-ending support during this project: Kimberley
andAleiiaAsmundson,AmySueJaneck,andAlexJaneckTaylor(whowasnot
yet born but was kicking like a soccer star at the time of writing).
ix