Why medically unexplained symptoms and health anxiety don't need to make your heart sink

2018 ◽  
Vol 208 (4) ◽  
pp. 188-188
Author(s):  
Benjamin Nham ◽  
Anna Williard
Keyword(s):  
Health Anxiety ◽  
Medically Unexplained Symptoms ◽  
Medically Unexplained ◽  
Unexplained Symptoms

scholarly journals Assessing the Effectiveness of Brief and Low Intensity Psychological Interventions for Medically Unexplained Symptoms and Health Anxiety: A Systematic Review of the Literature

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Orla McDevitt-Petrovic ◽  
Karen Kirby
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Health Anxiety ◽  
Medically Unexplained Symptoms ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Psychological Interventions ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
Illness Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Medically Unexplained ◽  
Unexplained Symptoms ◽  
Illness Anxiety

This chapter presents a systematic review of the literature to assess the effectiveness of brief psychological interventions for medically unexplained symptoms (MUS)/somatic symptom disorder, non-cardiac chest pain, and illness anxiety disorder or health anxiety (HA). Google Scholar, PubMed, and Web of Science were searched as data sources. Reference lists were subsequently examined for other relevant articles. Studies were assessed according to specified inclusion criteria and extracted according to PRISMA guidelines. A total of 23 studies were included in the final synthesis. Significant effects for intervention groups relative to control groups were reported in 19 studies, whilst 4 studies did not determine any significant benefits of interventions compared with controls. All of the brief interventions (CBT, psychosocial, psychophysiological, psychosomatic, relaxation and group therapy), with the exception of metaphor therapy, showed significant effects relative to controls in at least one study. The evidence suggests that brief psychological interventions, more specifically time limited CBT based interventions may be effective in treating HA and MUS with psychological distress. Findings are comparable with other reviews. Future research may facilitate the piloting of an intervention, and there remains a need to provide more robust evidence of cost effectiveness.

Big Five personality traits and medically unexplained symptoms in later life

2016 ◽  
Vol 38 ◽  
pp. 23-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.D.M. van Dijk ◽  
D. Hanssen ◽  
P. Naarding ◽  
P. Lucassen ◽  
H. Comijs ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Big Five ◽  
Older Patients ◽  
Health Anxiety ◽  
Medically Unexplained Symptoms ◽  
Physical Symptom ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Big Five Personality ◽  
Personality Profile ◽  
Medically Unexplained ◽  
Unexplained Symptoms

AbstractBackgroundPersonality dysfunction has been postulated as the most clinically salient problem of persons suffering from medically unexplained symptoms (MUS) but empirical studies are scarce. This study aims to compare the personality profile of older patients suffering from MUS with two comparison groups and a control group.MethodsNinety-six older patients with MUS were compared with 153 frequent attenders in primary care suffering from medically explained symptoms (MES), 255 patients with a past-month depressive disorder (DSM-IV-TR), and a control group of 125 older persons. The Big Five personality domains (NEO-Five-Factor Inventory) were compared between groups by multiple ANCOVAs adjusted for age, sex, education, partner status and cognitive functioning. Linear regression analyses were applied to examine the association between health anxiety (Whitley Index) and somatization (Brief Symptom Inventory).ResultsThe four groups differed with respect to neuroticism (P < 0.001), extraversion (P < 0.001), and agreeableness (P = 0.045). Post hoc analyses, showed that MUS patients compared to controls scored higher on neuroticism and agreeableness, and compared to depressed patients lower on neuroticism and higher on extraversion as well agreeableness. Interestingly, MUS and MES patients had a similar personality profile. Health anxiety and somatization were associated with a higher level of neuroticism and a lower level of extraversion and conscientiousness, irrespective whether the physical symptom was explained or not.ConclusionsOlder patients with MUS have a specific personality profile, comparable to MES patients. Health anxiety and somatization may be better indicators of psychopathology than whether a physical symptom is medically explained or not.

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