RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Why health anxiety needs to be recognised in hospital practice
JF Clinical Medicine
JO Clin Med
FD Royal College of Physicians
SP 339
OP 342
DO 10.7861/clinmed.2019-0346
VO 20
IS 3
A1 Peter Tyrer
YR 2020
UL http://www.rcpjournals.org/content/20/3/339.abstract
AB Health anxiety, formerly part of hypochondriasis, but now reformulated as excessive concern about health and, by extension, illness, comprises a large proportion of consultations in hospital practice. For too long it has been ignored in practice and not formally treated. This belief is no longer tenable, and in the last few years a number of easily administered psychological treatments have shown consistent benefit that help patients, practitioners and planners of services. A stepped care approach in which physicians and nurses are first helped to identify health anxiety, explain its significance to patients and then, if necessary, administer these treatments in the clinical setting without referral to psychiatric services, is recommended as a way forward. This approach should be embraced in secondary care.