It is estimated that about four to six percent of all primary care patients are affected by severe hypochondria, a persistent fear or belief that one has a serious, undiagnosed medical illness. In the first major U.S. trial to test a specific therapy for hypochondria – a condition that currently has no widely accepted treatment -- researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) found that psychological therapy significantly improves a patient’s symptoms, fears and overall quality of life. The study appears in the March 24, 2004 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
