Health Anxiety Test (SHAI): Am I a Hypochondriac?

What it measures

How much worry you have about your health, using the 14-item main section of the Short Health Anxiety Inventory (SHAI). It looks at preoccupation with illness, attention to bodily sensations, difficulty being reassured, and the belief that you may be seriously ill.

How it works

Each of the 14 items gives four statements; you pick the one that best fits how you've felt over the past week, scored 0 to 3. The answers sum to a 0–42 score. A total around 18 or higher is commonly used to flag clinically significant health anxiety, though the exact cut-off varies between studies.

Tips for an accurate result

• 1Health worry exists on a spectrum — Some attention to your body is healthy. The question is whether worry, checking, or reassurance-seeking is taking over.
• 2Reassurance can backfire — Repeated checking and seeking reassurance often relieve anxiety briefly but strengthen it over time.
• 3CBT works well — Cognitive behavioural therapy for health anxiety has strong evidence. A GP can point you toward it.