Functional somatic symptoms and hypochondriasis among general practice patients: a pilot study

Abstract

Within a sample of 78 general practice patients, 13 patients were diagnosed as having functional somatic symptoms (FSS). In eight of these 13 patients, the FSS were associated with hypochondriasis, as indicated through a screening instrument (the Whitely index). In the remaining five patients, the FSS were associated with various other basic problems. Different subtypes of hypochondriasis with clinical relevance could be identified among the hypochondriac FSS patients. During a 3-year follow-up period, the FSS patients with hypochondriasis demonstrated considerably elevated general practice clinic utilization, compared with FSS patients without hypochondriasis. One of the FSS patients developed a serious physical disease during the follow-up period.