TY  - JOUR
A1  - Richtberg, Samantha
A1  - Jakob, Marion
A1  - Hoefling, Volkmar
A1  - Weck, Florian
T1  - Patient Characteristics and Patient Behavior as Predictors of Outcome in Cognitive Therapy and Exposure Therapy for Hypochondriasis
JF  - Journal of clinical psychology
N2  - ObjectivePsychotherapy for hypochondriasis has greatly improved over the last decades and cognitive-behavioral treatments are most promising. However, research on predictors of treatment outcome for hypochondriasis is rare. Possible predictors of treatment outcome in cognitive therapy (CT) and exposure therapy (ET) for hypochondriasis were investigated. MethodCharacteristics and behaviors of 75 patients were considered as possible predictors: sociodemographic variables (sex, age, and cohabitation); psychopathology (pretreatment hypochondriacal symptoms, comorbid mental disorders, and levels of depression, anxiety, and somatic symptoms); and patient in-session interpersonal behavior. ResultsSeverity of pretreatment hypochondriacal symptoms, comorbid mental disorders, and patient in-session interpersonal behavior were significant predictors in multiple hierarchical regression analyses. Interactions between the predictors and the treatment (CT or ET) were not found. ConclusionsIn-session interpersonal behavior is an important predictor of outcome. Furthermore, there are no specific contraindications to treating hypochondriasis with CT or ET.
KW  - cognitive-behavioral therapy
KW  - hypochondriasis
KW  - illness anxiety disorder
KW  - interpersonal behavior
KW  - predictors of outcome
Y1  - 2016
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.22356
SN  - 0021-9762
SN  - 1097-4679
VL  - 73
IS  - 6
SP  - 612
EP  - 625
PB  - Wiley
CY  - Hoboken
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Weck, Florian
A1  - Nagel, Laura Carlotta
A1  - Hoefling, Volkmar
A1  - Neng, Julia M. B.
T1  - Cognitive Therapy and Exposure Therapy for Hypochondriasis (Health Anxiety): A 3-Year Naturalistic Follow-Up
JF  - Journal of consulting and clinical psychology
N2  - Objective: Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) has been shown to be effective in treating hypochondriasis. However, there are doubts regarding the long-term effectiveness of CBT for hypochondriasis, in particular for follow-up periods longer than 1 year. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of cognitive therapy (CT) and exposure therapy (ET) for the treatment of hypochondriasis. Method: Seventy-five patients with a diagnosis of hypochondriasis who were previously treated with CT or ET were contacted 3 years after treatment. Fifty (67%) patients participated and were interviewed by an independent and blinded diagnostician using standardized interviews. Results: We found further improvements after therapy in primary outcome measures (d = .37), general functioning (d = .38), and reduced doctor visits (d = .30) during the naturalistic follow-up period. At the 3-year follow-up, 72% of the patients no longer fulfilled the diagnosis of hypochondriasis. Based on the main outcome measure, we found response rates of 76% and remission rates of 68%. At follow-up, only 4% of patients were taking antidepressant medication. Additional psychological treatment was utilized by 18% of the patients during the follow-up period (only 8% because of health anxiety). We found no overall differences between CT and ET. Only a trend for a greater deterioration rate in CT (13%) in comparison to ET (0%) was found. Conclusions: Our results suggest that 2/3 of the patients with hypochondriasis were remitted in the long term. Thus, remission rates after CBT were twice as high as in untreated samples.
KW  - hypochondriasis
KW  - cognitive therapy
KW  - exposure therapy
KW  - illness anxiety disorder
KW  - long-term follow-up
Y1  - 2017
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1037/ccp0000239
SN  - 0022-006X
SN  - 1939-2117
VL  - 85
SP  - 1012
EP  - 1017
PB  - American Psychological Association
CY  - Washington
ER  -