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Related Experiment Videos

Tactual sensitivity in hypochondriasis

M A Haenen1, A J Schmidi, M Schoenmakers

  • 1Department of Medical Psychology, Limburg University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.

Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics
|January 1, 1997
PubMed
Summary

Hypochondriacal patients perceive benign bodily sensations as more distressing, despite not having enhanced tactile sensitivity. This suggests amplified perception, not finer discrimination, underlies their somatic complaints.

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Area of Science:

  • Psychiatry
  • Psychosomatic Medicine
  • Clinical Psychology

Background:

  • Previous research questioned if hypochondriacal patients possess superior sensory discrimination.
  • Studies indicated hypochondriacal complaints do not stem from finer detection of normal physiological sensations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate tactual sensitivity to non-painful stimuli in hypochondriacal patients.
  • To compare hypochondriacal patients with healthy subjects regarding sensory perception.

Main Methods:

  • Compared 27 outpatients with DSM-III-R hypochondriasis to 27 healthy controls.
  • Measured two-point discrimination threshold and subjective sensitivity using the Somatosensory Amplification Scale.

Main Results:

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  • Hypochondriacal patients reported greater distress from benign bodily sensations.
  • No significant difference in two-point discrimination thresholds was found between groups.

Conclusions:

  • Hypochondriacal individuals perceive themselves as more sensitive to bodily sensations.
  • Findings support amplified perception rather than enhanced sensory discrimination in hypochondriasis.