Follow up of Patients Treated With Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Hypochondria From 1997 to 2007

University of Bergen

Status: Completed

Conditions: Hypochondriasis

Treatments: Behavioral: Cognitive behavioural therapy

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT00959452

17242

Details and patient eligibility

About

Research has shown that cognitive behavioural therapy is effective in treating hypochondria. However, no studies have examined the long term effect. The investigators have followed 56 patients treated for hypochondria between 1997 and 2001 and the investigators are now doing a 10 year follow-up (Part I). In another part of the study (Part II) the investigators compare the effect of 16 sessions vs. 5 sessions, with a follow-up period of at least 2 years. The investigators hypothesis is that the initial 1 year improvement will be sustained and that 5 sessions will yield the same results as 16 sessions.

Full description

The follow-up includes a telephone interview by independent researcher and the patients fill in the following questionnaires:

Whiteley Index (measures health anxiety), VAS-scales for health anxiety, worrying about symptoms and body checking, SF-36 (health related quality of life), Giessen Subjective Complaints List, Spielberger Trait and State Anxiety Scale Beck Depression Inventory, Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, General Health Questionnaire (GHQ 28), Somatic Amplification Scale,

Enrollment: 250 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Fulfilling ICD-10 criteria for hypochondriacal disorder

Exclusion criteria

• Unwillingness to participate
• Substance abuse
• Serious psychological (f.inst. psychosis, major depression) or somatic (f.inst. cancer) disease

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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250 participants in 1 patient group

Psychotherapy

Experimental group

Treatment:

Behavioral: Cognitive behavioural therapy