Cognitive behavioural therapy is more effective than standard care for people with hypochondria or health anxiety, say researchers writing in The Lancet.
In their study, 14% of patients given CBT regained normal anxiety levels against 7% given the usual care of basic reassurance.
It said nurses could easily be trained to offer the psychological therapy.
Between 10% and 20% of hospital patients are thought to worry obsessively about their health.
Previous studies have shown that CBT, which aims to change thought patterns and behaviour, is an effective treatment for other anxiety disorders.
But there is a shortage of specialists trained to deliver CBT, and as a result waiting lists can be long.
In this study, 219 people with health anxiety received an average of six sessions of cognitive behavioural therapy while 225 received reassurance and support, which is standard.
After periods of six months and 12 months, patients in the CBT group showed "significantly greater improvement in self-rated anxiety and depression symptoms" compared with standard care, the study showed.
There was also a particularly noticeable reduction in health anxiety in the CBT group straight after treatment began.
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