title: Specificity and modifiability of cognitive biases in hypochondriasis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  According to cognitive-behavioral models of hypochondriasis (HYP), biased attentional and memory processes related to health threat stimuli are crucial for the development and maintenance of severe health anxiety. Little is known about the specificity, temporal stability, and modifiability of these biases via psychotherapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  In an emotional Stroop and subsequent recognition task, the authors compared attention and memory processes for health-related words (illnesses, bodily complaints, and panic-related words) in patients with HYP (n = 32), other somatoform disorders (SFD; n = 27), and panic disorder (PD; n = 25). A control group consisted of 31 healthy participants (CG). All patients were reexamined after 4 months of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with HYP showed a significant attentional bias toward all 3 target word categories. Evidence for a specific bias was found only for the PD group. General recognition performance for health threat and neutral words was best in the HYP group. After therapy, attentional bias had clearly decreased in the HYP and SFD patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with HYP can be characterized by attentional bias and more elaborate verbal processing. These irregularities tend to disappear after psychotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Mainz, Germany. gropali@uni-mainz.de
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gropalis
authors.forename: Gaby
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bleichhardt
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hiller
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Witthöft
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006998:Hypochondriasis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016584:Panic Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome