Laboratory Studies

In patients with hypochondriasis, the abnormal laboratory findings characteristic of the suggested physical disorder are absent.

Screening tools

Screening tools include the following:

The Health Anxiety Inventory (HAI) (long version; short version of 14 items, 5 min) reliably distinguishes patients with hypochondriasis from patients with anxiety disorders or healthy controls.^[27]
The Illness Attitude Scale (29 items, 15 min, English only) is used for detection and to assess severity.^[35]
The Whitely Index of Hypochondriasis (14 items, 5 min, >14 languages) is used for detection, for rating severity, and for measuring change per interventions.^[36]
The Somatoform Disorders Symptom Checklist (65 yes-or-no items, 20 min, >5 languages) screens for hypochondriasis, somatization disorder, BDD, and others.^[37]

Treatment & Management

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Media Gallery

Pathological cycle of bodily concern and anxiety in hypochondriasis.
Mood, cultural, developmental, and environmental factors that influence hypochondriasis.
Factors that maintain anxiety in patients with hypochondriasis.
A cognitive model of the development of anxiety with hypochondriasis.

of 4

Author

Debra Kahn, MD Associate Clinical Professor, Director of Psychosomatic Medicine Service, Director of Psychosomatic Fellowship, Director of Transplant Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, School of Medicine

Debra Kahn, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine, American Psychiatric Association, Association of Women Psychiatrists, California Psychiatric Association, Central California Psychiatric Society

Disclosure: Serve(d) as a director, officer, partner, employee, advisor, consultant or trustee for: Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc.

Coauthor(s)

Glen L Xiong, MD Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Department of Internal Medicine, University of California, Davis, School of Medicine; Medical Director, Sacramento County Mental Health Treatment Center

Glen L Xiong, MD is a member of the following medical societies: AMDA - The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine, American College of Physicians, American Psychiatric Association, Central California Psychiatric Society

Disclosure: Serve(d) as a director, officer, partner, employee, advisor, consultant or trustee for: SafelyYou, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Included Health<br/>book co-editor for: Wolter Kluwer, American Psychiatric Publishing Inc.

Specialty Editor Board

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Pharmacy; Editor-in-Chief, Medscape Drug Reference

Disclosure: Received salary from Medscape for employment. for: Medscape.

Chief Editor

David Bienenfeld, MD Professor, Departments of Psychiatry and Geriatric Medicine, Wright State University, Boonshoft School of Medicine

David Bienenfeld, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Medical Association, American Psychiatric Association, Association for Academic Psychiatry

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Additional Contributors

Donald M Hilty, MD, MBA Associate Chief of Staff, Mental Health, Northern California VA Healthcare System; Professor of Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, School of Medicine

Donald M Hilty, MD, MBA is a member of the following medical societies: American Association for Technology in Psychiatry, American Psychiatric Association, American Telemedicine Association, Association for Academic Psychiatry

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

James A Bourgeois, MD, OD, MPA Chair, Department of Psychiatry, Baylor Scott and White Health, Central Texas Division; Clinical Professor, Department of Medical Education, Texas A&M University Health Science Center College of Medicine

James A Bourgeois, MD, OD, MPA is a member of the following medical societies: Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine, Alpha Omega Alpha, American Psychiatric Association, Austin Psychiatric Society, Collaborative Family Healthcare Association, NBIA Disorders Association, Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium, Texas Society of Psychiatric Physicians, The Leadership Institute

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Peter M Yellowlees, MD, MBBS Professor of Psychiatry, Director of Health Informatics Program, University of California, Davis, School of Medicine

Disclosure: Received consulting fee from Medscape for independent contractor.

Acknowledgements

The authors and editors of Medscape Reference gratefully acknowledge the contributions of previous authors Shayna L Marks, BA, MA; Dandan Liu, BA; and Celia Chang, MD to the development and writing of this article.