Treating Health Anxiety and Fear of Death: A Practitioner's Guide (Series in Anxiety and Related Disorders)

Never has our culture been more aware of personal and global health hazards, from both within and without. While most people may feel some anxiety in this regard, some have an unbearable sense of dread that prevents them from functioning. Chronic health anxiety—heightened fears of illness, disease, and death—is a central feature of hypochondriasis, of course, but can also present as depression, generalized anxiety disorder, OCD, and other diagnoses. **Treating****Health Anxiety** offers the professional reader not only an understanding of this condition, but also an easily implemented cognitive behavioral program for reducing fear of illness, overcoming fear of death, and getting more enjoyment from life, including:-Step-by-step coverage of the assessment process and therapy sessions-Client worksheets and self-monitoring forms-Specific guidelines for treating health anxiety in children and the elderly-Strategies for handling impasses and setbacks -Up-to-date guide to pharmacotherapy for health anxietyAs media attention to health issues increases, client fears of illness won’t go away any time soon. **Treating****Health Anxiety** gives prescribing and non-prescribing clinicians (as well as the counselors and social workers who encounter the problem) the tools to reduce both the fears and the medical costs that so often accompany them. Never has our culture been more aware of personal and global health hazards, from both within and without. While most people may feel some anxiety in this regard, some have an unbearable sense of dread that prevents them from functioning. Chronic health anxiety—heightened fears of illness, disease, and death—is a central feature of hypochondriasis, of course, but can also present as depression, generalized anxiety disorder, OCD, and other diagnoses. Treating Health Anxiety offers the professional reader not only an understanding of this condition, but also an easily implemented cognitive behavioral program for reducing fear of illness, overcoming fear of death, and getting more enjoyment from life, including: -Step-by-step coverage of the assessment process and therapy sessions -Client worksheets and self-monitoring forms -Specific guidelines for treating health anxiety in children and the elderly -Strategies for handling impasses and setbacks -Up-to-date guide to pharmacotherapy for health anxiety As media attention to health issues increases, client fears of illness won’t go away any time soon. Treating Health Anxiety gives prescribing and non-prescribing clinicians (as well as the counselors and social workers who encounter the problem) the tools to reduce both the fears and the medical costs that so often accompany them. Front Matter....Pages i-xv Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Fear of Illness and Death....Pages 3-19 Etiological Factors....Pages 21-33 A Cognitive-Behavioral Perspective....Pages 35-49 Front Matter....Pages 52-52 Treatment: What Are the Choices?....Pages 53-67 Assessment....Pages 69-81 Overview of Cognitive Behavioral Treatment....Pages 83-94 Response Prevention and Coping with Physical Symptoms....Pages 95-111 Exposure....Pages 113-128 Cognitive Interventions....Pages 129-145 Overcoming Fear of Death....Pages 147-159 Satisfaction and Enjoyment of Life....Pages 161-173 Pharmacological Treatment....Pages 175-184 Troubleshooting and Special Issues in Treatment....Pages 185-196 Front Matter....Pages 198-198 Health Anxiety and Somatization in Children....Pages 199-211 Health Anxiety in Illness and Aging....Pages 213-225 Back Matter....Pages 227-268 Contemporary culture includes a high awareness of personal and global health hazards. Many people may feel some anxiety in this regard, but some develop an unbearable sense of dread that prevents them from functioning. Treating Health Anxiety gives prescribing and non-prescribing clinicians, as well as the counselors and social workers who encounter the problem, the tools to reduce both the fears and the medical costs that so often accompany them.