Anxiety & Interoceptive Neuroscience · 90 secs

Health Anxiety & Cyberchondria Screener (Dr. Paul Salkovskis SHAI Model)

Framework: Dr. Paul Salkovskis (Short Health Anxiety Inventory - SHAI) & Dr. Gordon J. G. Asmundson · 100% Private & Free

Does an unfamiliar bodily twitch or heart flutter trigger catastrophic illness panic and symptom googling spirals? Free 12-item clinical screener measuring somatic catastrophizing, cyberchondria reassurance loops, and body checking.

Scientific Overview

Health anxiety is driven by the catastrophic misinterpretation of normal somatic sensations, amplified by algorithmic symptom googling (cyberchondria) and compulsive reassurance seeking. This screener benchmarks interoceptive alarm, reassurance addiction, and body checking.

What This Assessment Evaluates

  • Measures 3 clinical dimensions: Somatic Catastrophizing, Cyberchondria Googling Loops, and Body Checking Hypervigilance
  • Differentiates organic biological noise from catastrophic cognitive misinterpretations
  • Provides the 72-hour googling moratorium, interoceptive habituation exercises, and safe audio decompression

How to Take This Test

  1. Answer honestly based on your experience over the past 7 days.
  2. There are no right or wrong answers; trust your initial emotional reaction.
  3. Receive your personalized score breakdown, mascot insight, and custom journaling prompts immediately.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does googling symptoms make health anxiety worse?

Search algorithms monetize fear and maximize engagement by displaying rare, fatal edge-cases. Reading worst-case diagnoses floods the limbic system with adrenaline, which causes physiological palpitations and dizziness that are then misinterpreted as proof of illness.

Why does doctor reassurance only relieve health anxiety temporarily?

Reassurance acts like a short-lived psychological sedative: it temporarily soothes the amygdala, but reinforces the core cognitive error that normal bodily sensations are dangerous and require external medical validation to survive.

Medical Disclaimer

Medical Disclaimer: This instrument is designed for personal self-awareness, emotional tracking, and educational purposes. It is not a clinical diagnosis, psychological treatment, or a substitute for licensed psychiatric care.

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Takes just a minute. Free, anonymous, and no account required to see your initial results.

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