Enhancing cognitive-behavioral therapy for monosymptomatic hypochondriasis with motivational interviewing: Three case illustrations

Monosymptomatic hypochondriasis (MSH) is frequently referred to as a delusional variant of hypochondriasis. Treatment is typically difficult to initiate and complete for this condition. This article describes three uncontrolled cases of MSH where cognitive-behavioral therapy was administered following an initial phase of motivational interviewing. Cognitive behavioral therapy consisted of combinations of exposure and cognitive therapy. At treatment termination and 6-month follow-up, all three clients showed improvement on measures of depression, anxiety, and belief conviction of the presence of illness. Implications for treatment and future research on MSH are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) (journal abstract)