Severe Health Anxiety in the Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders

Hedman, Erik; Axelsson, Erland

doi:10.1002/9781118877142.ch23

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 76 publications

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“…As in the case of all anxiety disorders, more is known about what maintains the condition than about what it is that causes it. Though it is common to refer to "the cognitivebehavioural model" of severe health anxiety 139,140 , there have been several attempts at understanding health anxiety based on cognitive-or learning theory 13,[141][142][143][144][145][146][147] , and also several influential models of similar constructs 148,149 . While most models of health anxiety and similar phenomena show considerable overlap, they also have their particularities, and some 150 have little in common with the current mainstream view of severe health anxiety.…”

Section: A Cognitive-behavioural Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cost-effectiveness and long-term follow-up of three forms of minimal-contact cognitive behaviour therapy for severe health anxiety: Results from a randomised controlled trial

Axelsson

Andersson

Ljótsson

et al. 2018

Behaviour Research and Therapy

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Section: A Cognitive-behavioural Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cost-effectiveness and long-term follow-up of three forms of minimal-contact cognitive behaviour therapy for severe health anxiety: Results from a randomised controlled trial

Axelsson

Andersson

Ljótsson

et al. 2018

Behaviour Research and Therapy

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“…Further, individuals with generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) report greater stress and phobic reactions to COVID-19 compared to individuals with social anxiety and specific phobia (Ardestani et al, 2021; Khosravani, Asmundson, Taylor, Bastan, & Ardestani, 2021 ). Studies have also demonstrated links between health anxiety, defined as the preoccupation with the fear that one has or may contract a serious medical illness ( Hedman & Axelsson, 2017 ), and COVID-19-related anxiety (e.g., Jungmann & Whithoft, 2020; Khosravani, Asmundson et al, 2021 ; Mertens, Gerritsen, Duijndam, Salemink, & Engelhard, 2020 ). However, excessive COVID-19-related anxiety may also be a unique variant of health anxiety, in which the fear is specific to contracting COVID-19 rather than illness more generally.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predicting COVID-19-related anxiety: The role of obsessive-compulsive symptom dimensions, anxiety sensitivity, and body vigilance

Ojalehto

Abramowitz

Hellberg

et al. 2021

Journal of Anxiety Disorders

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The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), first detected in December of 2019 and declared a global pandemic in March of 2020, continues to pose a serious threat to public health and safety worldwide. Many individuals report anxiety in response to this threat, and at high levels, such anxiety can result in adverse mental health outcomes and maladaptive behavioral responses that have consequences for the health of communities more broadly. Predictors of excessive anxiety in response to COVID-19 are understudied. Accordingly, the present study examined psychological factors that predict more intense COVID-19-related anxiety. 438 community members completed measures assessing COVID-19-related anxiety as well as psychological variables hypothesized to predict anxious responding to the threat of COVID-19. As expected, obsessive-compulsive symptoms related to contamination, the fear of arousal-related body sensations (i.e., anxiety sensitivity), and body vigilance each predicted more severe anxiety related to the pandemic. Obsessive-compulsive symptoms related to responsibility for causing harm also emerged as a predictor. Study limitations and implications are discussed.

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“…High levels of health anxiety might be a multidimensional trait, where triggering factor (such as physiological processes), cognitive and behavioral strengthen each other. Although avoiding triggers and using safe behaviors (such as more examinations of symptoms) may lead to a reduction in health anxiety in the short term but higher levels of health anxiety in the long run [49]. Fortunately, psychoeducation, exposure and response prevention, antidepressants, and cognitive restructuring techniques might be helpful for patients with severe health anxiety.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The mediating effect of health anxiety in the relationship between functional somatic symptoms and illness behavior in Chinese inpatients with depression

Wang

Yuan

et al. 2019

BMC Psychiatry

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Background Functional somatic symptoms in depression disorder may cause inappropriate illness behavior hindering the treatment process. Health anxiety may play a role in this relationship, but few studies have examined it. The current study aimed to investigate the role of health anxiety in the relationship between functional somatic symptoms and illness behavior in patients with depression. Methods The present study recruited 323 hospitalized patients with depression to complete the Patient Health Questionnaire-15, Whiteley-Index-7, and Scale for the Assessment of Illness Behavior, then constructed a structural equation model to examine whether health anxiety mediated the relationship between functional somatic symptoms and illness behavior. Results The results showed significant correlations between any two of the three variables of interest. More importantly, health anxiety played a partially mediating role (42.86%) in the relationship between functional somatic symptoms and illness behavior. Further analysis suggested that elderly patients reached higher health anxiety than younger patients when their functional somatic symptoms were mild. Conclusions These results highlight that health anxiety may mediate the influence of functional somatic symptoms on illness behavior. The implications of assessing and intervening in health anxiety in patients with depression were discussed.

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Severe Health Anxiety in the Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders

Cited by 3 publications

References 76 publications

Cost-effectiveness and long-term follow-up of three forms of minimal-contact cognitive behaviour therapy for severe health anxiety: Results from a randomised controlled trial

Cost-effectiveness and long-term follow-up of three forms of minimal-contact cognitive behaviour therapy for severe health anxiety: Results from a randomised controlled trial

Predicting COVID-19-related anxiety: The role of obsessive-compulsive symptom dimensions, anxiety sensitivity, and body vigilance

The mediating effect of health anxiety in the relationship between functional somatic symptoms and illness behavior in Chinese inpatients with depression

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