Comparing Cognitive Therapy and Exposure Therapy in Individuals With Hypochondriasis
Study Details
Study Description
Brief Summary
This study will compare the efficacy of cognitive therapy and exposure therapy for treating hypochondriasis.
| Condition or Disease | Intervention/Treatment | Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
Phase 3 |
Detailed Description
Hypochondriasis is defined as a preoccupation with the fear of having a serious disease based on the person's misinterpretation of bodily symptoms (APA). For a long time hypochondriasis was seen as difficult to treat. Meanwhile effective psychological treatment for hypochondriasis exists. Psychotherapies using cognitive therapy (CT), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), exposure therapy (ET) or behavioral stress management approaches are effective in reducing symptoms of hypochondriasis. However, few studies compare different types of psychotherapy. In addition, in these studies numbers of participants were small, no differences between different treatments were found, and one third of the participants showed no satisfactory change. This study will compare the efficacy of CT and ET in a larger sample of 84 participants.
Participants in this randomized controlled trial (RCT) will first undergo baseline assessment. Then they will be randomly assigned to either CT, ET or a waiting list (WL), all conditions are for the duration of 12 weeks. CT includes psychoeducation, attention training, cognitive restructuring, behavioral experiments, imagery rescripting and relapse prevention. ET includes change of safety behavior, exposition (in sensu and in vivo), and relapse prevention. Both treatment trials contain the identical number of sessions. Treatment response will be assessed at week 12 and additionally one and three years after treatment. Participants of the WL will be assigned to CT or ET after the waiting period.
Study Design
Arms and Interventions
| Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
|---|---|
| Experimental: Cognitive Therapy (CT) There will be 12 50-minute individual sessions conducted at weekly intervals. Booster sessions will be conducted one, three and six months after treatment. Sessions include psychoeducation, attention training, cognitive restructuring, behavioral experiments, imagery rescripting and relapse prevention. |
Behavioral: Psychotherapy (CT or ET)
weekly 50-minute sessions for 12 weeks
Other Names:
|
| Experimental: Exposure Therapy (ET) There will be 12 50-minute individual sessions conducted at weekly intervals. Booster sessions will be conducted one, three and six months after treatment. Sessions include change of safety behavior, exposition (in sensu and in vivo), and response prevention. |
Behavioral: Psychotherapy (CT or ET)
weekly 50-minute sessions for 12 weeks
Other Names:
|
| No Intervention: Waiting List (WL) 12 weeks waiting time |
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcome Measures
- Hypochondriasis Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (H-YBOCS) [3 months]
clinician-rated measure that assesses hypochondriacal obsessions, compulsions and avoidance
Secondary Outcome Measures
- Illness Attitude Scales (IAS) [3 months]
self-report measure that assesses attitudes, fears, and beliefs associated with the psychopathology of hypochondriasis and that of abnormal illness behavior
- Beck-Depression Inventory II (BDI-II) [3 months]
self-report measure that assesses depressive symptoms
- Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) [3 months]
self-report measure that asessses anxiety symptoms
- Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) [3 months]
self-report measure that assesses aspects of general psychopathology
- Scale for the Assessment of Illness Behavior (SAIB) [3 months]
self-report measure that focuses on illness behavior
- Health-related quality of life (SF-12) [3 months]
self-report measure the assesses the health-related quality of life
- Cognitions About Body and Health Questionnaire (CABAH) [3 months]
self-rated measure that focuses on attitudes related to the cognitive concept of hypochondriasis
Eligibility Criteria
Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
-
Meets DSM-IV criteria for hypochondriasis
-
German fluency and literacy
-
Informed consent
Exclusion Criteria:
-
Major medical illness expected to worsen significantly
-
Currently in psychotherapy
-
Suicidal tendency
-
Clinical diagnosis of alcohol or drug addiction, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder or bipolar disorder according to DSM-IV
Contacts and Locations
Locations
| Site | City | State | Country | Postal Code | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy of the Wolfgang Goethe University | Frankfurt | Hessen | Germany | D-60486 |
Sponsors and Collaborators
- Goethe University
- German Research Foundation
Investigators
- Principal Investigator: Florian Weck, PhD, Goethe University
Study Documents (Full-Text)
None provided.More Information
Publications
None provided.- WE 4654/2-1, WE 4654/2-3