title: Health anxiety and hypochondriasis in the light of DSM-5.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In the DSM-5, the diagnosis of hypochondriasis was replaced by two new diagnositic entities: somatic symptom disorder (SSD) and illness anxiety disorder (IAD). Both diagnoses share high health anxiety as a common criterion, but additonal somatic symptoms are only required for SSD but not IAD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Our aim was to provide empirical evidence for the validity of these new diagnoses using data from a case-control study of highly health-anxious (n = 96), depressed (n = 52), and healthy (n = 52) individuals.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The individuals originally diagnosed as DSM-IV hypochondriasis predominantly met criteria for SSD (74%) and rarely for IAD (26%). Individuals with SSD were more impaired, had more often comorbid panic and generalized anxiety disorders, and had more medical consultations as those with IAD. Yet, no significant differences were found between SSD and IAD with regard to levels of health anxiety, other hypochondriacial characteristics, illness behavior, somatic symptom attributions, and physical concerns, whereas both groups differed significantly from clinical and healthy controls in all of these variables.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results do not support the proposed splitting of health anxiety/hypochondriasis into two diagnoses. Further validation studies with larger samples and additional control groups are warranted to prove the validity of the new diagnoses.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Clinical Psychology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim , University Heidelberg , Mannheim , Germany.
authors.forename: Josef
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bailer
authors.affiliation: a Department of Clinical Psychology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim , University Heidelberg , Mannheim , Germany.
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kerstner
authors.affiliation: b Department of Clinical Psychology , Johannes Gutenberg University , Mainz , Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Witthöft
authors.affiliation: c School of Applied Psychology , SRH University of Applied Sciences , Heidelberg , Germany.|d Department of Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience, Central Institute of Mental Health , University of Heidelberg , Mannheim , Germany.
authors.forename: Carsten
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Diener
authors.affiliation: a Department of Clinical Psychology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim , University Heidelberg , Mannheim , Germany.
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mier
authors.affiliation: e Department of Clinical Psychology , University of Münster , Münster , Germany.
authors.forename: Fred
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rist
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D001294:Attitude to Health; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006998:Hypochondriasis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: anxiety sensitivity; health anxiety; hypochondriasis; illness anxiety disorder; somatic symptom disorder; symptom attributions