In therapy sessions, GP appointments or at home after an anxious online search, this printable handout can help people slow down and check whether health information is reliable before acting on it. It is particularly relevant for adults experiencing health anxiety, reassurance seeking, symptom checking, or worry triggered by internet searches, AI answers, social media posts or conflicting medical advice.
This Dealing with Health Information PDF for health anxiety is a practical worksheet-style handout for slowing down, checking sources and reducing impulsive reassurance seeking after reading medical content online. It helps users notice how internet searches, AI answers, news stories and social media posts can feel convincing, especially when worry is already high, and encourages a more balanced way to decide what information deserves attention.
The resource explains how search wording can influence results, including the “filter in” and “filter out” effect, and gives examples of less biased searches. It also includes a ten-question checklist for assessing online health information, covering points such as who wrote it, whether the source is reputable, whether there may be commercial interests, whether claims are supported by more than one study, and whether the advice is current.
It can be used in CBT sessions, GP conversations, wellbeing appointments or as a home learning task between sessions. Practitioners may use it to structure discussion about symptom checking, comparing advice, changing behaviour based on online content, or deciding when to seek appropriate medical guidance rather than repeatedly searching for certainty. Download and print it for a clear, step-by-step prompt.
