A new research has revealed that cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is more effective than standard care for people suffering from hypochondria or health anxiety.
In the research, 219 people suffering from health anxiety got an average of six sessions of cognitive behavioural therapy while 225 received reassurance and support.
It was found that 14 percent of patients given CBT regained normal anxiety levels against 7 percent given usual care of basic reassurance, the BBC reported.
According to study author Prof Peter Tyrer, head of the Centre for Mental Health at Imperial College London, the research showed that hypochondria could be successfully treated, in a "relatively cheap" way, by general nurses with minimal training in a hospital setting.
The study has been published in journal The Lancet.