Research into Illness Anxiety Disorder

Some recent research on this disorder focuses on associated costs. In general, the disorder is found to be associated with high direct costs, such as treatment expenses and visits to health professionals. There are also indirect costs, such as reduced productivity and absence from work. This is a difficult subject to research, as some people avoid going to health professionals.

Another line of research is determining which treatments are best for the disorder. Some types of psychological and pharmacological treatment may help people with illness anxiety disorder. However, it is not clear, for example, whether a combination of the two types of treatment is better than using only one.