Health Anxiety Inventory- hypochondriasis
The Health Anxiety Inventory
This was described and published in Psychological Medicine in 2002. Reference - Salkovskis‚ P.M.‚ Rimes‚ K.A.‚ Warwick‚ H.M.C. & Clark‚ D.M (2002) The Health Anxiety Inventory: development and validation of scales for the measurement of health anxiety and hypochondriasis. Psychological Medicine‚ Vol. 32‚ 843-853.
There are two referents; these are referred to here as the “week” and “month” versions. The month versions are used as screening instruments and ask for ratings of how the person has been over the last six months. This period is chosen because six months is the period used by DSM-IV for the diagnosis of hypochondriasis.
There are four sections in the health anxiety inventory. The main section is composed of symptoms of health anxiety (hypochondriasis). The second section comprises questions about people’s attitudes to how awful it would be if they were to develop a particular illness. This is scored separately and is regarded as a treatment process measure. Ratings of avoidance and reassurance seeking are also included. The Health Anxiety Inventory main section is scored on a 0 – 3 basis and the section total is used. For the short version this is the first 14 questions. Four questions regarding awfulness are then totalled separately. Reassurance and avoidance seeking are simply totalled but the “other” items in each is not included in the total.
The short version is the version most commonly used for clinical purposes with the long version being for specific research purposes with subscales being available. The “week” version is‚ of course‚ more sensitive to treatment changes and is used as a treatment outcome measure.
Name ....................................................... .
Date ........................ .
This questionnaire has two parts‚ each divided in to two sections:
The first part of the questionnaire contains some ideas that may go through your mind when you have symptoms about which you think you may need to see a doctor. In the first section you are asked to rate how often you have the ideas stated; and in the second section you are asked to rate how much you believe these ideas when you have them.
Please rate the frequency and belief of these ideas during the time from when you first thought that perhaps you might need to see the doctor to when you actually went. The ideas may occur in any form‚ for example as a word‚ mental image or a sudden urge to carry out some action.
The second part of the questionnaire contains some ideas that may go through your mind when you have thoughts of yourself developing a serious illness. Again‚ in the first section you are asked to rate how often you have the ideas stated; and in the second section you are asked to rate how much you believe these ideas when you have them.
How much you believe an idea does not depend on how often you have the idea. You may have a thought that occurs frequently that you do not believe; or you may have a thought that occurs occasionally that you strongly believe.
SECTION 1
1.A FREQUENCY
When you have symptoms about which you think you may need to see a doctor‚ how often do you have the following ideas? (You will later be asked to rate how much you believe these ideas so in this section please only rate how often you have the ideas.) Circle the number that most accurately describes the frequency of the occurrence of the ideas using the following scale:
o = Idea never occurs
1= Idea rarely occurs
2= Idea occurs about half the time that I think about these symptoms
3= Idea usually occurs
4= Idea always occurs
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0
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1
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2
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3
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4
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I must tell the doctor in detail every aspect of how I feel.
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If I don’t pay a lot of attention to all my symptoms‚ I may be seriously ill without knowing it.
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If I am not fully aware of my symptoms and the doctor tells me I am well when I am not‚ then it is my fault.
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I must go to the doctor just in case I am seriously ill
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If I don't keep a close watch on my symptoms all the time‚ then I may miss an important one.
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If I fail to explain every symptom in detail‚ then it would be my fault if I developed a serious illness to a stage too late for treatment.
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It would be wrong not to mention every symptom‚ even the most minor symptoms in case they are important.
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The doctor may fail to realize that I am seriously ill if I miss out any details about my symptoms.
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I'll only worry if I haven't told the doctor exactly what my symptoms are and how I feel.
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I need to be sure that I get the right diagnosis.
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If I don't go to the doctor about these symptoms‚ then it would be my fault if it got too late to do anything about a serious illness.
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I shouldn't go to the doctors as it would be better not to know if I am seriously ill.
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If I don't pay attention to my symptoms I may not be able to tell the doctor everything he/she needs to know.
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I need to be certain that my symptoms don't mean that I am a seriously ill
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It is enough just to tell the doctor of the symptoms that I happen to have noticed.
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It is the responsibility of the doctor to ask anything extra he/she needs to know.
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I need only tell the doctor the most obvious symptoms.
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There's no point in focussing on my symptoms all the time as I am aware of the most important ones anyway.
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The doctor will ask whatever extra he/she needs to know to give me the correct diagnosis.
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I will wait and see if I continue to have these symptoms before deciding to go to the doctor.
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These symptoms probably don't mean anything so I don't need to go to the doctor.
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I.B BELIEF
When you have symptoms about which you think that you may need to see a doctor‚ how much do you believe each of these ideas to be true?
I do not believe this idea at all =0‚ 10‚ 20‚ 30‚ 40‚ 50‚ 60‚ 70‚ 80‚ 90‚ 100=I am completely convinced that this Idea is true
I must tell the doctor exactly how I feel.
If I am not aware of all my symptoms‚ I may be seriously ill without knowing it.
If I am not fully aware of my symptoms and the doctor tells me I am well when I am not‚ then it is my fault.
I must go to the doctor just in case I am seriously ill.
If I don't keep a close watch on my symptoms all the time‚ then I may miss an important one.
If I fail to explain every symptom in detail‚ then it would be my fault if I developed a serious illness to a stage too late for treatment.
It would be wrong not to mention every symptom‚ even the most minor symptoms in case they are important.
The doctor may fail to realize that 1 am seriously ill if I miss. Out any details about my symptoms.
I'll only worry if I haven't told my doctor exactly what my symptoms are and how I feel.
I need to be sure that I get the right diagnosis.
If I don't go to the doctor about these symptoms‚ then it would be my fault if it got too late to do anything about a serious illness.
It is best to know if I am seriously ill as it may be possible to do something about it before it's too late.
I shouldn't go to the doctor as it would be better not to know if 1 am seriously ill.
If I don't pay attention to my symptoms I may not be able to tell the doctor everything he/she needs to know.
I need to be certain that these symptoms don't mean that I am seriously ill.
It is enough just to tell the doctor the symptoms I happen to have noticed.
It is the responsibility of the doctor to ask anything extra he/she needs to know.
I need only tell the doctor the most obvious symptoms.
There's no point in focussing on the symptoms all the time symptoms as I am aware of the most important ones anyway.
The doctor will ask whatever extra he/she needs to know to give me the correct diagnosis.
I will wait and see if I continue to have these symptoms before deciding to go to the doctor.
These symptoms probably don't mean anything so I don't 0 10 20 30 40 SO 60 70 80 90 100 need to go to the doctor.
SECTION Two
l.A FREQUENCY
Below are several ideas that may go through your head when you bave thoughts of yourself developing a serious illness. Think of the last time that you had these thoughts; use the scale below to rate how often you had these ideas when you had thoughts of yourself developing a serious illness.
o = Idea never occurs
1= Idea rarely occurs
2= Idea occurs about half the time that I think about these symptoms
3= Idea usually occurs
4= Idea always occurs
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0
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1
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2
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3
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4
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It's wrong to ignore these thoughts of a serious illness
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Thinking about this illness could make me get it
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If I am too confident about my health then it is tempting fate and I may get ill.
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If I don't worry about my health I could get sick
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Worrying about your health doesn't do any good
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having these thoughts about myself developing a serious illness an indication that I really might get seriously ill
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This is just a thought so I don't need to do anything about it
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There must be a reason for having these thoughts of myself developing a serious illness
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Just having these thoughts will not make me get the illness
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Since I have thought that I might be developing this illness I must make every effort to do something about it
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having these thoughts doesn't mean that I will get seriously ill
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2.B BELIEF
Think of the last time that you had thoughts of yourself developing a serious illness; use the scale below to rate how much you believed these ideas when you had thoughts of a serious illness.
I do not believe this idea at all =0‚ 10‚ 20‚ 30‚ 40‚ 50‚ 60‚ 70‚ 80‚ 90‚ 100=I am completely convinced that this Idea is true
It's wrong to ignore these thoughts of a serious illness.
Thinking about this illness could make me get it.
I f I am too confident about my health then it is tempting fate and I may get ill.
If I don't worry about my health I could get sick.
Worrying about one's health doesn't do any good.
having these thoughts about myself developing a serious illness is an indication that I really might get seriously ill.
This is just a thought so I don't need to worry about it.
There must be a reason for having these thoughts of a serious illness.
Just having this thought will not make me get the illness.
Since 1 have thought that I might be developing this illness I must make every effort to do something about it.
having these thoughts doesn't mean that I will get seriously ill.
ابزار از کالج سلطنتی انگلستان برداشته شده است . برای آگاهی بیشتر نشانی زیر را ببینید.
یکی از کاربردهای این پرسشنامه درباره اضطراب و اندیشه بیهوده راجع بسلامتی خود (Hypochondria) است.