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Boston, MA—July 1, 2004: Hypochondria accounts for an estimated 5% of visits to general practitioners and 10% of medical costs in the United States. The gains in medical knowledge and public availability of medical information could make the disorder even more prevalent in the 21st
century. The July issue of the Harvard Mental Health Letter looks at this psychiatric condition, which causes genuine suffering and social distress. By misinterpreting physical symptoms, patients may believe that they have a serious illness. They may become preoccupied with this fear. When this situation lasts for at least six months and
seriously interferes with daily living, the diagnosis of hypochondria applies. Hypochondriacal patients are not suffering from delusions. They may even admit that their fears are excessive or completely unreasonable, though compelling. What’s more, their symptoms cannot be explained by another psychiatric disorder (for example depression or an anxiety disorder).
According to the Harvard Mental Health Letter, hypochondriacal symptoms are most likely to appear during stressful times, especially during recovery from a serious physical illness (or during the illness), or after the death of someone close. Hypochondriacal patients can be reluctant to see mental health
professionals, so their care usually falls to primary care clinicians. Overall, the condition remains difficult to treat, although, as the July Harvard Mental Health Letter points out, treatments involving cognitive behavioral therapy and the use of antidepressants or anti-anxiety drugs can be helpful. Physicians can help hypochondriacal patients by emphasizing the need to cope with their symptoms rather than hope to eliminate them, scheduling regular appointments instead of seeing the patient whenever he or she has a complaint, providing
only limited reassurance, and being conservative about diagnosis and treatment. The Harvard Mental Health Letter is available from Harvard Health Publications, the publishing division of Harvard Medical School. You can subscribe to Harvard Mental Health Letter for $59 per year: 1-877-649-9457.
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