Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry 30 (1999) 251 } 258 Treatment preference in hypochondriasis John Walker*, Norah Vincent, Patricia Furer, Brian Cox, Kevin Kjernisted Department of Clinical Health Psychology, University of Manitoba, Canada Department of Psychiatry, University of Manitoba, Canada Abstract Promising cognitive-behavioral and medication treatments for hypochondriasis are in the early stages of evaluation. Little is known about the treatment preferences and opinions of individuals seeking help for this problem. In this exploratory study, 23 volunteers from the community with a DSM-IV diagnosis of hypochondriasis were recruited through a newspaper advertisement. Participants were presented with a survey which included balanced descriptions of both a medication and a cognitive-behavioral treatment for intense illness concerns (hypo- chondriasis). The brief descriptions of the treatments discussed the time commitment required as well as the major advantages and disadvantages of each. Results showed that, relative to medication treatment, cognitive-behavioral treatment was predicted to be more e!ective in both the short and long terms and was rated as more acceptable. Psychological treatment was indicated as the "rst choice by 74% of respondents, medication by 4%, and 22% indicated an equal preference. Forty-eight percent of respondents would only accept the psychological treatment.  2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Hypochondriasis; Treatment preference; Treatment acceptability 1. Introduction Epidemiologic data indicate that the prevalence of hypochondriasis among medical outpatients ranges from 4.2 to 7.7% (Barsky, Wyshak, Klerman, & Latham, 1990; Kirmayer & Robbins, 1991). Individuals with hypochondriasis are more likely to use health services, and therefore represent a signi"cant cost to the healthcare system (Noyes, Kathol, Fisher, Phillips, Suelzer, & Woodman, 1994; Palsson, 1988; Pilowsky, * Correspondence address. Anxiety disorders Program, M5-St. Boniface General Hospital, 409 Tache Ave., Winnipeg, MB Canada R2H 2A6. Tel.: #204-237-2335; fax: #204-237-6264. E-mail address: jwalker@cc.umanitoba.ca (J. Walker) 0005-7916/00/$ - see front matter  2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. PII: S 0 0 0 5 - 7 9 1 6 ( 9 9 ) 0 0 0 2 7 - 0