Application of Cognitive Behavior Therapy in Patients with Hypochondriacal Disorder

Nakka Dileep Kumar Sagara
Shree Guru Gobind Singh Tricentenary University, Gurugram, Haryana
Vikas Sharma
SGT University, Gurugram, Haryana
Devashish Shukla
Kalyan Singh Super Specialty Cancer Institute, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh

Pagese, , 119-130

Hypochondriacal Disorder, now known as Illness Anxiety Disorder, involves excessive
worry about having a serious illness despite medical reassurance, leading to significant
anxiety and impairment in daily functioning. To examine the impact of Cognitive
Behavioral Therapy (CBT) on the severity of the Somatosensory Amplification, Beck
Depression Inventory, Social Functioning Questionnaire and quality of life in patients
with hypochondriacal disorder. A quasi-experimental study was conducted with 80
patients diagnosed with Hypochondriacal Disorder, randomly assigned to either an
experimental or control group. The experimental group underwent 13 individual CBT
sessions focused on the Somatosensory Amplification, Beck Depression Inventory,
Social Functioning Questionnaire and quality of life, along with treatment-as-usual (TAU).
The control group received only TAU. Data were analyzed using dependent and
independent t-tests. In this study, the mean age of patients was 36 years in the
experimental group and 32 years in the control group, with an average duration of
hypochondriacal disorder of 2.7 years in both groups. A significant decrease in
Somatosensory Amplification, Beck Depression Inventory, Social Functioning
Questionnaire, and an improvement in quality of life was observed in patients with
hypochondriacal disorder following CBT. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy significantly
improves outcomes in patients with Hypochondriacal Disorder, reducing scores on the
Somatosensory Amplification, Beck Depression Inventory, Social Functioning
Questionnaire, while enhancing overall quality of life