Health anxiety: the silent, disabling epidemic
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Despite the high prevalence of severe health anxiety and the existence of effective psychological treatments, the disorder is still rarely diagnosed in the health care setting.
“Despite the high prevalence and the existence of effective psychological treatments [7], the disorder is still rarely diagnosed in the health care setting [8].”
From Development and Feasibility Testing of Internet-Delivered Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Severe Health Anxiety: Pilot Study. (2018) · cites this paper as [8]
When severe health anxiety is recognized, there is often a lack of proper treatment options.
“when the disorder is recognized, there is often a lack of proper treatment options.”
From Development and Feasibility Testing of Internet-Delivered Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Severe Health Anxiety: Pilot Study. (2018) · cites this paper as [8]
Health care professionals often lack the necessary knowledge about health anxiety.
“Health care professionals often lack the necessary knowledge about health anxiety”
From Development and Feasibility Testing of Internet-Delivered Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Severe Health Anxiety: Pilot Study. (2018) · cites this paper as [8]
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Self-citation
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Recent Advances in the Understanding and Treatment of Health Anxiety.
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“It may appear too strong a claim, but the number of people with major health-anxiety concerns in general hospitals is both sufficiently large and undetected to be called a silent epidemic.(74) There is a growing realisation that better integration of medical and mental health services is necessary in general hospitals…”
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“Despite the high prevalence and the existence of effective psychological treatments [7], the disorder is still rarely diagnosed in the health care setting [8].”
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“Despite their prevalence in primary care, their high medical health care utilization as well as high risk of chronicity and disability [27], somatic symptom disorders have not been investigated within the UP framework.”
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All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality Among Individuals With Hypochondriasis
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“One in twenty individuals experience excessive and disabling anxiety about their health during their lifetime (Sunderland, Newby, & Andrews, 2013), but despite the high prevalence rates, it often goes undetected and untreated (Tyrer, Eilenberg, Fink, Hedman, & Tyrer, 2016).”
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“HA in adults often goes unnoticed for years, resulting in patients undergoing unavailing medical investigations for prolonged periods of time, without alleviating potentially disabling symptoms of HA (Fink, Ørnbøl, & Christensen, 2010; Tyrer, Eilenberg, Fink, Hedman, & Tyrer, 2016).”
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“, 2011), perhaps as a result of increased attention to healthrelated issues in society, along with easily accessible information on the internet (Tyrer et al., 2016).”
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“…(IAD) and Somatic Symptom Disorder (SSD) diagnoses in DSM-5 (American Psychiatric Association, 2013), but is less restrictive and more clinically useful ‘diagnosis’ compared to the narrowly defined DSM-5 IAD criteria, which excludes individualswho experience somatic symptoms (Tyrer et al., 2016).”
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“Individuals with health anxiety tend to have difficulty stopping thinking about a disease when it comes to mind (Tyrer et al., 2016).”
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- Authors
- Tyrer, P., Eilenberg, T., Fink, P., Hedman, E., & Tyrer, H.
- Affiliations
- Centre for Mental Health (GB)
- Aarhus University Hospital (DK)
- Aarhus University (DK)
- Corresponding author
- Tyrer, Peter
- Venue
- BMJ
- Publisher
- BMJ
- Published
- 2016-04-25
- Volume
- 353
- Pages
- i2250
- ISSN
- 1756-1833 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2344062821
- Cited by
- 47
- References
- 14
- Citations by year
- 2025: 3 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 3
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- pure.au.dk
- Licence
- Locations
- BMJ (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- HighWire Press Open Archive (submittedVersion)
- Spiral (Imperial College London) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute for Health and Care Research (07/01/26)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › COVID-19 and Mental Health
- Keywords
- health anxiety, psychological intervention
- MeSH terms
- Anxiety, Attitude of Health Personnel, Humans, Hypochondriasis, Physician-Patient Relations, Primary Health Care, Quality of Life, Referral and Consultation, Evidence-Based Practice, Catastrophization, Secondary Care, Secondary Health Care
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