ABSTRACT
Along with paranoia, hypochondriasis is a delusional illness in which elders may refuse to admit the mental nature of their problems. The authors present the case of a 60 year old female fitting the pattern of geriatric hypochondriasis: multiple somatic complaints complicated by depression. The physician treated the patient’s verifiable physical disorders while the psychologist used self-management strategies for the depression. Favorable results included a reduction in the number of office visits as well as the frequency of crying, number of somatic complaints, and difficulty in walking.
