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Therapeutics
Cognitive behavioural therapy increases response in people with hypochondriasis

http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/ebmh.10.3.87

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    Greeven A, van Balkom AJLM, Visser S, et al. Cognitive behavior therapy and paroxetine in the treatment of hypochondriasis: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Psychiatry 2007;164:91–9.OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science

    Q Are cognitive behavioural therapy and paroxetine more effective than placebo for hypochondriasis?

    METHOD

    Embedded ImageDesign:

    Randomised controlled trial.

    Embedded ImageAllocation:

    Concealed.

    Embedded ImageBlinding:

    Double blind (paroxetine and pill placebo groups only, blinding for cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) group not described).

    Embedded ImageFollow-up period:

    Sixteen weeks.

    Embedded ImageSetting:

    Three psychiatric outpatient units in the Netherlands; January 1998 to July 2002.

    Embedded ImagePatients:

    112 adults (aged over 18 years) with hypochondriasis (DSM-IV). Main exclusions: severe comorbidity; substance abuse; diagnosis of anxiety or depression; use of antidepressants, antipsychotics or anticoagulants; already receiving psychotherapy; pregnancy or breastfeeding.

    Embedded ImageIntervention:

    CBT (6–16 individual sessions as needed), paroxetine (up to 60 mg daily), or pill placebo for 16 weeks.

    Embedded ImageOutcomes:

    Symptoms of hypochondriasis (4-point Likert scale version of the Whiteley Index); response (Jacobson and Truax criteria).

    Embedded ImagePatient follow-up:

    73% completed treatment (75% of CBT group; 70% of paroxetine group; 74% …

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    Footnotes

    • For correspondence: Dr Spinhoven, PO Box 9555, 2300 RB Leiden; spinhoven{at}fsw.leidenuniv.nl

    • Source of funding: Unconditional educational grant from GlaxoSmithKline.

    Footnotes

    • Competing interests: None declared.