Health Anxiety: Clinical and Research Perspectives on Hypochondriasis and Related Conditions / Edition 1

by Gordon J.G. Asmundson, Steven Taylor, Brian J. Cox

Overview

Recent years have seen major advances in the understanding andtreatment of health anxiety and hypochondriasis, particulary inrelation to the cognitive behavioural approach to anxiety. Thisvolume brings together this knowledge of psychological andpharmacological treatments of health anxiety, and relates it to aconceptual framework which provides a basis for assessment,treatment and ongoing research.

"Asmundson, Taylor and Cox have assembled a group of world classscientists and practitioners for this book. The chapters provide awealth of information on the causes, assessment and treatment ofhealth anxiety related disorders. I believe that their book is themost significant contribution to date to our understanding ofhealth anxiety related disorders. Everyone working in the healthfield will find something of worth in this book."
G. Ron Norton, Ph.D, Professor Emeritus, University of Winnipeg,Canada

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780471491040
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	12/05/2001
Series:	Wiley Series in Clinical Psychology , #41
Pages:	440
Product dimensions:	6.08(w) x 9.78(h) x 0.97(d)

About the Author

Gordon J. G. Asmundson is a Registered Doctoral Psychologist and Full Professor of Psychology at the University of Regina. He received his doctorate in Psychology from the University of Manitoba in 1991 and in 2005-2006 trained as a Beck Scholar at the Beck Institute for Cognitive Therapy and Research in Philadelphia.

Steven Taylor is the editor of Health Anxiety: Clinical and Research Perspectives on Hypochondriasis and Related Conditions, published by Wiley.

Brian J. Cox is the editor of Health Anxiety: Clinical and Research Perspectives on Hypochondriasis and Related Conditions, published by Wiley.

Table of Contents

About the Editors.

List of Contributors.

Foreword: Professor S. Rachman.

Preface.

Acknowledgments.

PART I: CLINICAL FEATURES AND THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES.

1. Health Anxiety: Classification and Clinical Features (Gordon J.G. Asmundson, Steven Taylor, Serperi Sevgur, and Brian J.Cox).

2. The Psychology of Physical Symptoms and Illness Behavior (ReneMartin, Katherine Lemos, and Howard Leventhal).

3. Making Sense of Hypochondriasis: A Cognitive Theory of HealthAnxiety (Paul M. Salkovskis and Hillary Warwick).

4. Personality Traits and Health Anxiety (Erin McClure and Scott O.Lilienfeld).

PART II: ASSESSMENT AND TREATMENT.

5. Assessment of Health Anxiety (Sherry Stewart and Margo C.Watt).

6. Hypochondriasis: Boundaries and Comorbidities (Russell Noyes,Jr.).

7. Integrated Approach to Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for IntenseIllness Worries (Patricia Furer, John R. Walker, and Mark H.Freeston).

8. Pharmacological Management of Hypochondriasis and RelatedDisorders (Murray W. Enns, Kevin Kjernisted, and MarkLander).

9. General and Cross-Cultural Considerations in a Medical Settingfor Patients Presenting with Medically Unexplained Symptoms (JavierI. Escobar, Lesley A. Allen, Constanza Hoyos Nervi, and Michael A.Gara).

10. Hypochondriasis and Health Anxiety in the Elderly (Allison G.Snyder and Melinda A. Stanley).

PART III: RELATED CONDITIONS.

11. Heart-focussed Anxiety in Medical and Anxiety-relatedPsychological Conditions (Georg H. Eifert, Michael J. Zvolensky,and Carl W. Lejuez).

12. Hypochondriasis and Health Anxiety among Pain Patients (HeatherD. Hadjistavropoulos, Katherine M. B. Owens, ThomasHadjistavropoulos, and Gordon J. G. Asmundson).

13. Psychotic Disorders with Hypochondriacal Features: Delusions ofthe Soma (David Kingdon, Shanaya Rathod, and DouglasTurkington).

14. Death Anxiety (Robert J. Kastenbaum).

PART IV: CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS.

15. Future Directions and Challenges in Assessment, Treatment, andInvestigation (Gordon J. G. Asmundson, Steven Taylor, Kristi D.Wright, and Brian J. Cox).

Author Index.

Subject Index.

Editorial Reviews

This text for physical and mental health practitioners covers current theoretical understanding of health anxiety with particular emphasis on hypochondriasis. The 15 contributions from researchers in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. discuss such topics as the assessment of health anxiety, the pharmacological management of hypochondriasis, and related conditions such as death anxiety. Coverage extends to cross-cultural considerations when dealing with patients with medically unexplained symptoms and health anxiety in the elderly. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

"...This book will give you the current status in the field from aninternational perspective..." (Int Jnl of Adolescent MedicalHealth, Vol.14, No.3, 2002)

"...It is well structured, clearly written and provides anexcellent and comprehensive overview of the subject..."(British Journal of Clinical Psychology, September 2002)

From the Publisher