Dataset Information

The Relationship of Hypochondriasis to Anxiety, Depressive, and Somatoform Disorders.

ABSTRACT: Though the phenotype of anxiety about medical illness has long been recognized, there continues to be debate as to whether it is a distinct psychiatric disorder and, if so, to which diagnostic category it belongs.Our objective was to investigate the pattern of psychiatric comorbidity in hypochondriasis (HC) and to assess the relationship of health anxiety to anxiety, depressive, and somatoform disorders.Data were collected as part of a clinical trial on treatment methods for HC. In all, 194 participants meeting criteria for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition (DSM-IV) HC were assessed by sociodemographic variables, results of structured diagnostic interviews, and validated instruments for assessing various symptom dimensions of psychopathology.Most of the individuals with HC had comorbid psychiatric illness; the mean number of comorbid diagnoses was 1.4, and 35.1% had HC as their only diagnosis. Participants were more likely to have only comorbid anxiety disorders than only comorbid depressive or somatoform disorders. Multiple regression analysis of continuous measures of symptoms revealed the strongest correlation of health anxiety with anxiety symptoms, and a weaker correlation with somatoform symptoms; in multiple regression analysis, there was no correlation between health anxiety and depressive symptoms.Our findings suggest that the entity of health anxiety (HC in DSM-IV and illness anxiety disorder in DSM-5) is a clinical syndrome distinct from other psychiatric disorders. Analysis of comorbidity patterns and continuous measures of symptoms suggest that its appropriate classification is with anxiety rather than somatoform or mood disorders.

SUBMITTER: Scarella TM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4792743 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Mar-Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

The Relationship of Hypochondriasis to Anxiety, Depressive, and Somatoform Disorders.

Scarella Timothy M TM Laferton Johannes A C JA Ahern David K DK Fallon Brian A BA Barsky Arthur A

Psychosomatics 20151023 2

<h4>Background</h4>Though the phenotype of anxiety about medical illness has long been recognized, there continues to be debate as to whether it is a distinct psychiatric disorder and, if so, to which diagnostic category it belongs.<h4>Objective</h4>Our objective was to investigate the pattern of psychiatric comorbidity in hypochondriasis (HC) and to assess the relationship of health anxiety to anxiety, depressive, and somatoform disorders.<h4>Methods</h4>Data were collected as part of a clinica ...[more]

PMID: 26785798

Similar Datasets

Project description:BACKGROUND:The prevalence of mental health disorders continues to rise, with almost 4% of the world population having an anxiety disorder and almost 3.5% having depression in 2017. Despite the high prevalence, only one-third of people with depression or anxiety receive treatment. Over the last decade, the use of digital health interventions (DHIs) has risen rapidly as a means of accessing mental health care and continues to increase. Although there is evidence supporting the effectiveness of DHIs for the treatment of mental health conditions, little is known about what aspects are valued by users and how they might be improved. OBJECTIVE:This systematic review aimed to identify, appraise, and synthesize the qualitative literature available on service users' views and experiences regarding the acceptability and usability of DHIs for depression, anxiety, and somatoform disorders. METHODS:A systematic search strategy was developed, and searches were run in 7 electronic databases. Qualitative and mixed methods studies published in English were included. A meta-synthesis was used to interpret and synthesize the findings from the included studies. RESULTS:A total of 24 studies were included in the meta-synthesis, and 3 key themes emerged with descriptive subthemes. The 3 key themes were initial motivations and approaches to DHIs, personalization of treatment, and the value of receiving personal support in DHIs. The meta-synthesis suggests that participants' initial beliefs about DHIs can have an important effect on their engagement with these types of interventions. Personal support was valued very highly as a major component of the success of DHIs. The main reason for this was the way it enabled individual personalization of care. CONCLUSIONS:Findings from the systematic review have implications for the design of future DHIs to improve uptake, retention, and outcomes in DHIs for depression, anxiety, and somatoform disorders. DHIs need to be personalized to the specific needs of the individual. Future research should explore whether the findings could be generalized to other health conditions.

Dataset Information

The Relationship of Hypochondriasis to Anxiety, Depressive, and Somatoform Disorders.

Publications

The Relationship of Hypochondriasis to Anxiety, Depressive, and Somatoform Disorders.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets