Health anxiety check (SHAI)
Each question consists of a group of four statements. Read each group carefully and select the one statement that best describes your feelings over the past six months.
This check uses the Short Health Anxiety Inventory (SHAI) — 18 groups of four statements about worrying over health, noticing bodily sensations, and fearing serious illness. Health anxiety is very treatable, usually with CBT, and it’s different from having real symptoms checked: both deserve attention.
Your answers stay on this device — nothing is sent or saved anywhere.
DocSana self-checks are for information only. They are screening tools, not diagnoses: only a licensed clinician can diagnose a mental health condition. Your answers are scored in your browser and are never sent to or stored by DocSana. We count visits to these pages with privacy-friendly analytics that use no cookies and never receive your answers or results. There is no advertising tracking on self-check pages. If you're in crisis, call or text 988, or call 911 if you're in immediate danger.
Common questions
What is the SHAI?
The SHAI — the Short Health Anxiety Inventory — is a test of health anxiety made up of 18 groups of four statements: worrying about illness, noticing bodily sensations, and fearing serious disease. For each group you pick the one statement that fits you best; the statements are scored 0 to 3, for a total of 0 to 54.
What score suggests health anxiety?
Studies commonly use 18 or above to indicate significant health anxiety. For context, people without health anxiety average around 12, and people in treatment for health anxiety often score in the 30s. A screening score is not a diagnosis.
Is health anxiety the same as being a hypochondriac?
Health anxiety is the current clinical term for the pattern once called hypochondriasis. It’s a real, treatable anxiety condition — not attention-seeking — and CBT designed for it works well.
Who made the SHAI?
Prof. Paul M. Salkovskis, Dr. Katharine A. Rimes, Prof. H. M. C. Warwick and Dr. David M. Clark (2002), building on the full Health Anxiety Inventory.
The Short Health Anxiety Inventory (SHAI) was developed by Salkovskis, Rimes, Warwick & Clark (2002).
Related checks
Clinical review pending This page was written by the DocSana team and is awaiting review by a licensed clinician.