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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Health Anxiety: Internet Treatment Versus Face-to-Face Therapy

NCT02314065 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 204

Last updated 2020-10-29

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Background

Severe health anxiety is a highly distressing, often debilitating, psychological problem. Since the release of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5 (DSM-5) its clinical manifestations are increasingly often referred to as Somatic Symptom Disorder (SSD) or Illness Anxiety Disorder (IAD). Despite often being overlooked in routine care, several treatments for severe health anxiety have shown great promise, the most well-established being Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Traditionally, CBT - like most other psychotherapies - has typically been delivered face-to-face. That is, the patient physically meeting with the therapist once a week for the whole of the treatment. Internet-delivered CBT does not rest on this requirement, but has nevertheless been shown to be efficacious for severe health anxiety (see for example NCT01673035).

Aim of the study

The present study aims to compare the effects of Internet-delivered CBT and CBT face-to-face for severe health anxiety in a randomized controlled trial. A non-inferiority criterion is applied to determine if Internet-delivered CBT is at least as efficacious as its well-established predecessor.

Conditions

  • Severe Health Anxiety
  • Somatic Symptom Disorder
  • Illness Anxiety Disorder

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

CBT, exposure and response prevention (Face-to-face)

This intervention entails different exercises aimed at exposure to health anxiety stimuli. Treatment is delivered in a conventional manner. Participants are physically meeting with a therapist once a week.

BEHAVIORAL

CBT, exposure and response prevention (Internet-based)

This intervention entails different exercises aimed at exposure to health anxiety stimuli. Treatment is delivered via the Internet. Participants are guided by a therapist using an email-like communication system.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Principal Investigators

  • Erik Hedman, Ph.D. · Karolinska Institutet

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2014-12-10
Primary Completion
2018-07-23
Completion
2018-07-23

Countries

  • Sweden

Study Locations

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Entities

Companies

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT02314065 on ClinicalTrials.gov