Health anxiety disorders: a cognitive construal

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology
• Anxiety Disorders

Background:

• Severe health anxiety (HAD) is characterized by intense, persistent anxiety about present and future health.
• It shares core features with other anxiety disorders like GAD, PTSD, and OCD, including distressing, uncontrollable anxiety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the features of severe health anxiety.
• To review the nature, causes, triggers, persistence, assessment, and treatment of HAD.
• To appraise the current status of the cognitive model for health anxiety.

Main Methods:

• Literature review and appraisal of the cognitive model for health anxiety.
• Description of the cognitive construal of HAD, proposing catastrophic misinterpretations of bodily sensations.
• Examination of assessment and treatment strategies.

Main Results:

• Health anxiety is proposed to arise from catastrophic misinterpretations of bodily sensations and changes.
• The review synthesizes information on the multifaceted aspects of HAD.
• The cognitive model's premises require further evaluation.

Conclusions:

• HAD is a distinct anxiety disorder requiring further research and clinical attention.
• The cognitive model provides a framework for understanding health anxiety, but needs empirical validation.
• Future research should focus on evaluating the core tenets of the cognitive model for HAD.