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Review
. 2023 Sep 15;15(9):e45286.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.45286. eCollection 2023 Sep.

Role of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors in the Treatment of Hypochondriasis: A Systematic Review

Manoj Prithviraj  1 , Palani Selvam Mohanraj  2 , Tejas K Patel  3 , Arani Das  4
Affiliations
Review

Role of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors in the Treatment of Hypochondriasis: A Systematic Review

Manoj Prithviraj et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Hypochondriasis is a condition characterized by an unrealistic fear of having a serious medical illness resulting in health anxiety. Currently, no evidence-based pharmacological treatment options are available for the treatment of hypochondriasis. Since selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the first-line treatment option for anxiety disorders, they may be useful for relieving hypochondriasis symptoms. Moreover, off-label use of SSRIs in these cases is highly prevalent in clinical practice. Thus, in this study, we aimed to review the available literature to assess the role of SSRIs in the treatment of hypochondriacal symptoms. A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, Embase, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews from the date of inception to December 2022. We included only randomized clinical trials (RCTs) investigating the effect of SSRIs in the treatment of hypochondriacal symptoms. Non-RCTs, observation studies, and animal studies were excluded. The Risk of Bias 2 tool was used to assess the quality of included studies. Out of 2264 articles, six RCTs met our inclusion criteria. Studies have been conducted using different SSRIs in the treatment of primary hypochondriasis and hypochondriacal symptoms associated with other psychiatric disorders. All the studies have found that the use of SSRIs has some beneficial role in improving hypochondriacal symptoms. This suggests that SSRIs may be one of the promising pharmacological interventions in the treatment of hypochondriasis.

Keywords: health anxiety; hypochondriacal symptoms; hypochondriasis; illness anxiety; selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors; ssri.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Risk of bias summary
Figure 2
Figure 2. Risk of bias graph
Figure 3
Figure 3. PRISMA flow diagram
PRISMA: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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