Several studies have shown that cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)， which aims to change thought patterns and behaviour， can reduce the symptoms and hospital appointments. But waiting lists on the NHS can be long in some areas， and the therapy is not widespread. Tyrer is now leading a study of 448 people with health anxiety who are being treated in five hospitals. Treatment takes place in hospital clinics that deal with the illness the sufferer feels they have - such as cardiology or neurology clinics. ”If you say， ’We want you to see a psychologist or psychiatrist’ they say， ’I’m physically ill， not mentally ill’。 So they are treated by general nurses who have been trained in this technique.“

　　The study will finish in 2012， but early results look promising. ”We have had dozen of letters from the patients saying how their lives have been turned around，“ says Tyrer. He describes a patient who had been treated for heart disease who had not been out of his house for a year because he was so terrified of having a heart attack; after a course of CBT， he was able to go on holiday. Tyrer is aiming to prove such treatment will eventually save the NHS money by reducing the need for tests and emergency hospital admissions.

　　One CBT technique involves getting patients who believe their headaches are a sign of a brain tumour to create a pie chart where they imagine all the people who woke up that day with a headache， and list the causes for it according to probability： dehydration， a cold， migraine， tiredness， too much caffeine.

　　”Sometimes this is a complete revelation to them，“ says Dr Helen Seivewright， clinical research fellow at Imperial College， who is also working on the study. ”It opens up this world where not every symptom means the worst diagnosis.“

　　【重点单词及短语】

　　GP： general practitioner 私人医生;家庭医生

　　be preoccupied with 专注于;专心于

　　in the grip of 受……控制

　　impending adj. 即将发生的;迫近的

　　cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) 认知行为疗法

　　turn around 转变;改观

　　pie chart 饼状图;圆形分格统计图表

　　revelation n. 启示;被揭露的真相

　　Question time：

　　1. What is health anxiety?

　　2. Why do some people get health anxiety?

　　3. Which way is considered to be effective to health anxiety?