Found this article on the washington post. Check it out.
Drug May Help Hypochondriacs
And now, a real pill for your unreal illness.
Scientists report that the antidepressant Paxil helped hypochondriacs be less fearful about getting sick. In the first controlled study that compared a group of hypochondriacs given the drug with a group that got psychological talk therapy and another group that received sugar pills, the medication significantly reduced people's fears about imaginary illnesses.
Before the trial, one 40-year-old, who said he had fears starting at age 10 that he was going to die in his sleep, rated his certainty that he was suffering from a serious illness as an 8 on a scale of 1 to 10. After six weeks on Paxil, his fear level dropped to a 4 -- an improvement that led him to continue the medication after the trial.
According to the standard manual of mental disorders, hypochondriasis is a potentially serious condition that can prompt people to go doctor shopping, abuse sick time at work and become complete invalids.
The study found that hypochondriacs who got cognitive behavior therapy, which encourages people to challenge the validity of their disabling beliefs, also improved -- as much as those given the drug. Researchers suggested that a combination of this talk therapy and medication might be especially effective.
The study was published this month in the American Journal of Psychiatry by researchers at Leiden University in the Netherlands and other Dutch centers. It was funded by an "educational grant" from Glaxo SmithKline, which makes Paxil.
1 comment:
Well written article.
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