Assessing Bodily Preoccupations is sufficient: clinically effective screening for hypochondriasis.

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Psychological Medicine
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Hypochondriasis is a chronic psychiatric disorder leading to increased healthcare utilization.
• Effective treatments, including psychiatric consultation and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), are available.
• Early and accurate identification of hypochondriasis is crucial for timely intervention and cost reduction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide evidence for clinically effective screening of hypochondriasis.
• To describe the identification of patients with a high probability of hypochondriasis.
• To validate the use of the Bodily Preoccupation (BP) Scale and the Whiteley-7 (WI-7) for screening.

Main Methods:

• The BP Scale (3 items) and WI-7 (7 items) were assessed in 228 participants (72 with hypochondriasis, 80 with anxiety disorders, 76 healthy controls).
• Participants were recruited from a psychotherapy outpatient unit and diagnosed using DSM-IV criteria.
• Cut-off values were computed for both scales to identify patients with a high probability of hypochondriasis, alongside validity assessments with other symptom scales.

Main Results:

• Both the BP scale and WI-7 significantly discriminated between patients with hypochondriasis and those with anxiety disorders (d=2.42 and d=2.34, respectively).
• Established cut-off values allow for the identification of individuals with a high probability of suffering from hypochondriasis.
• The screening instruments demonstrated validity in identifying the target patient group.

Conclusions:

• The BP scale and WI-7 are effective tools for screening hypochondriasis.
• Implementing these scales in primary or medical care settings can facilitate early identification.
• Screening facilitates timely transfer of patients to specialized assessment and effective treatments, potentially reducing healthcare costs.