What non-pharmacological interventions are recommended for managing health anxiety in adults?

For managing health anxiety in adults, non-pharmacological interventions primarily involve psychological therapies, particularly cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and low-intensity psychological interventions. CBT is recommended as a high-intensity psychological intervention for cases with marked functional impairment or inadequate response to lower-intensity treatments. Low-intensity psychological interventions include individual non-facilitated self-help, individual guided self-help, and psychoeducational groups, which are suitable for diagnosed generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) that has not improved after education and active monitoring in primary care. Education and active monitoring are initial steps for all known and suspected presentations of anxiety, including health anxiety, to help individuals understand their condition and treatment options. These interventions follow a stepped-care model, starting from education and monitoring, progressing to low-intensity psychological interventions, and then to high-intensity psychological treatments like CBT if needed. Applied relaxation is also mentioned as a choice alongside CBT for more severe cases. There is no specific mention of pharmacological treatments in this context for health anxiety, emphasizing the role of psychological and educational approaches first.