Background: Given that on the one side considerable similarities between hypochondriasis and obsessive- compulsive disorder (OCD) by means of sharing a number of features, including intrusive thoughts and repeated che...Background: Given that on the one side considerable similarities between hypochondriasis and obsessive- compulsive disorder (OCD) by means of sharing a number of features, including intrusive thoughts and repeated checking (Barsky, 1992), on the other side similar structural neuroimaging data that found hypochondriac patients to have significantly smaller mean left and right OFC, and greater left thalamus volumes compared to those of healthy controls. Aims: We considered to investigate the hippocampal neurochemicals, found changed in OCD patients, in hypochondriac patients. Methods: Fifteen patients with hypochondriasis, recruited from our out- or in-patient clinics, were compared with 15 healthy control comparisons in regard to proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) imaging of hippocampus. Results: The patients with hypochondriasis had lower right and left NAA/CHO, and NAA/CRE, and near-significant lower right CHO/CRE hippocampal ratios than healthy matched comparison subjects. Conclusion: The data of the present investigation in patients with hypochondriasis provide preliminary evidence of lower right and left NAA/CHO, and NAA/CRE, near-significant lower right CHO/CRE hippocampal ratios, revealing neurochemical alterations in hippocampus and a further support the notion that hypochondriasis shares a variety of neurobiological similarities with OCD.展开更多
Objective: This study examined retrospectively the relationship between premenstrual symptoms and health anxiety. Methods: Premenstrual symptoms of nursing school graduates were assessed in 1985 and again in 1991 usin...Objective: This study examined retrospectively the relationship between premenstrual symptoms and health anxiety. Methods: Premenstrual symptoms of nursing school graduates were assessed in 1985 and again in 1991 using the Premenstrual Assessment Form (PAF). A total of 571 women completed the survey in 1991, along with items relating to their physical and mental health. The latter included depression, anxiety, and panic attacks. Health anxiety was also assessed using the Whiteley Index (WI). After women who were amenorrheic for any reason were excluded, a final sample of 410 women aged 25 to 52 years was obtained. Factor analyses yielded 57 items that were useful for calculating a total PAF score. A stepwise multivariate linear regression model was used to find the association of PAF scores with various participant characteristics. Results: Thirty-kone of the 410 (7.6%) women had WI scores of ≥5 and were considered to have significant health-related anxiety. The PAF score had statistically significant associations with health anxiety, as well as depression and anxiety. Conclusions: Our results suggest that the premenstrual symptoms often coexist with health anxiety as well as other psychological symptoms. Clinicians should be alert to the fact that PMS may be associated with treatable psychiatric conditions.展开更多
文摘Background: Given that on the one side considerable similarities between hypochondriasis and obsessive- compulsive disorder (OCD) by means of sharing a number of features, including intrusive thoughts and repeated checking (Barsky, 1992), on the other side similar structural neuroimaging data that found hypochondriac patients to have significantly smaller mean left and right OFC, and greater left thalamus volumes compared to those of healthy controls. Aims: We considered to investigate the hippocampal neurochemicals, found changed in OCD patients, in hypochondriac patients. Methods: Fifteen patients with hypochondriasis, recruited from our out- or in-patient clinics, were compared with 15 healthy control comparisons in regard to proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) imaging of hippocampus. Results: The patients with hypochondriasis had lower right and left NAA/CHO, and NAA/CRE, and near-significant lower right CHO/CRE hippocampal ratios than healthy matched comparison subjects. Conclusion: The data of the present investigation in patients with hypochondriasis provide preliminary evidence of lower right and left NAA/CHO, and NAA/CRE, near-significant lower right CHO/CRE hippocampal ratios, revealing neurochemical alterations in hippocampus and a further support the notion that hypochondriasis shares a variety of neurobiological similarities with OCD.
文摘Objective: This study examined retrospectively the relationship between premenstrual symptoms and health anxiety. Methods: Premenstrual symptoms of nursing school graduates were assessed in 1985 and again in 1991 using the Premenstrual Assessment Form (PAF). A total of 571 women completed the survey in 1991, along with items relating to their physical and mental health. The latter included depression, anxiety, and panic attacks. Health anxiety was also assessed using the Whiteley Index (WI). After women who were amenorrheic for any reason were excluded, a final sample of 410 women aged 25 to 52 years was obtained. Factor analyses yielded 57 items that were useful for calculating a total PAF score. A stepwise multivariate linear regression model was used to find the association of PAF scores with various participant characteristics. Results: Thirty-kone of the 410 (7.6%) women had WI scores of ≥5 and were considered to have significant health-related anxiety. The PAF score had statistically significant associations with health anxiety, as well as depression and anxiety. Conclusions: Our results suggest that the premenstrual symptoms often coexist with health anxiety as well as other psychological symptoms. Clinicians should be alert to the fact that PMS may be associated with treatable psychiatric conditions.
