New Directions in Research on Health Anxiety and Hypochondriasis: Commentary on a Timely Special Series

Hypochondriasis is considered a somatoform disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., text revision; American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Conceptualizations of hypochondriasis as a form of severe health anxiety has resulted in a resurgence of interest among clinical researchers. The purpose of this article is to address several themes that have been highlighted in the articles in this special series with regard to the phenomenology of hypochondriasis and health anxiety. Topics covered include the conceptualization and assessment, specific and general risk factors, differential diagnosis, and treatment. The implications of the findings from this special series for a new research agenda on hypochondriasis and health anxiety are also discussed.