Causal symptom attributions in somatoform disorder and chronic pain.

Objective: Somatoform disorders (SFD) are defined by symptoms that lack medical explanation. This study examined the type and pattern of patients' causal attributions using a new semistructured interview technique

Methods: The Causal Attributions Interview allows to assess and weigh 15 common explanations of physical symptoms. Attributions given by 79 patients with SFD were compared with those obtained from 187 chronic pain patients.

Differentiating hypochondriasis from panic disorder.

Hypochondriasis and panic disorder are both characterized by prevalent health anxieties and illness beliefs. Therefore, the question as to whether they represent distinct nosological entities has been raised. This study examines how clinical characteristics can be used to differentiate both disorders, taking the possibility of mixed symptomatologies (comorbidity) into account.

Cognitive behavior therapy for functional gastrointestinal disorders: is group treatment effective?

Objective: The intention of this study was to evaluate therapy outcome of a cognitive-behavioral group treatment program for functional gastrointestinal disorders. As a particular characteristic, gastrointestinal symptoms were investigated independently from diagnostic categories on a dimensional basis, considering the persistence of symptoms as well as the aspect of severity.

Methods: A total of 64 subjects participated in the 10-week treatment program, and 49 completed the study.

Predictors of course and outcome in hypochondriasis after cognitive-behavioral treatment.

Background: Predictors of treatment outcome were evaluated in a clinical sample suffering from hypochondriasis.

Methods: The sample consisted of 96 patients with hypochondriacal disorder according to DSM-IV or high syndrome scores on the Illness Attitude Scales (IAS) or Whiteley Index (WI). After intense inpatient cognitive-behavioral treatment (CBT), 60% of the patients were classified as responders because of substantial improvements or recovery from hypochondriacal symptomatology.

Assessment of functional gastrointestinal disorders using the Gastro-Questionnaire.

The purpose was to investigate the reliability and factorial structure of the Gastro-Questionnaire for the screening and psychometric measurement of functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGDs). The questionnaire contains 27 gastrointestinal symptom items drawn from the Rome-II criteria, which are rated by frequency and severity, as well as some items to exclude organic diseases. The questionnaire was administered to 259 normal participants and to 69 participants of the annual German meeting of patients with irritable bowel syndrome.