NCT02314065

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

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Health Anxiety: a Randomized Controlled Non-inferiority Trial of Internet-delivered and Face-to-Face Therapy

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 204 (actual)
• Sponsor: Karolinska Institutet · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

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

Type	Name	Description
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.

Timeline

• Start date: 2014-12-10
• Primary completion: 2018-07-23
• Completion: 2018-07-23
• First posted: 2014-12-10
• Last updated: 2020-10-29

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Sweden