On Demand OCD & Anxiety Lecture Series: Is it All in My Head: Treating Health Anxiety

This presentation was originally reviewed on October 30, 2024, and in person and live streamed online on November 1, 2024, from 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm ET.

The views and opinions expressed by this presenter in this lecture are their own, and do not represent the views of Sheppard Pratt.

We all know we are going to die, but the when and the how are unknown. While many causes of death are due to preventable injury, the majority of death is caused by medical related factors such as cancer, stroke, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s to name a few. We often head to Dr. Google with our symptoms where we read that our headache can be caused by dehydration or possibly a brain tumor. Of course, we assume the worst. It is no wonder humans experience excessive health-related fears based on misperceptions of innocent bodily cues and sensations. Generally, we refer to these worries as Health Anxiety, however we are really talking about two different diagnoses: Illness Anxiety Disorder and Somatic Symptom Disorder. In this talk you will learn the difference between the two diagnoses and how to treat them using effective techniques.

Target Audience

This activity is intended for physicians, nurses, psychologists, social workers, counselors and other mental health professionals. 

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this activity, attendees will be able to:

  1. Differentiate Illness Anxiety Disorder and Somatic Symptom Disorder
  2. Identify common Cognitive Distortions associated with Health Anxiety
  3. Describe specific treatment interventions for Illness Anxiety Disorder and Somatic Symptom Disorder
Course summary
Available credit: 
  • 1.00 ACEP NBCC clock hours
  • 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
  • 1.00 Category II credits for Social Workers
  • 1.00 Psychologists
  • 1.00 MNA Contact Hours for Nurses
  • 1.00 Participation
Course opens: 
12/19/2024
Course expires: 
12/17/2026

There is no commercial support for this activity.

About the speaker

Michelle Massi is a licensed Marriage & Family Therapist and has been treating OCD for 20 years.  Ms. Massi has a private practice in Los Angeles, CA where she specializes in CBT to treat OCD, OC-spectrum disorders and other anxiety disorders in children, teens and adults. She is also licensed in Arizona, Georgia, Texas and Florida. In addition to her private practice, Michelle is an IOCDF BTTI faculty member and provides consultations to other clinicians.  Previously, Ms. Massi was the Associate Clinical Director at the UCLA OCD Intensive Treatment Program. She also worked in the UCLA Childhood OCD, Anxiety and Tic Disorders Program as well as the UCLA Adult Anxiety Research Program.         

Disclosure Statements

Sheppard Pratt holds the standard that its continuing medical education programs should be free of commercial bias and conflict of interest. In accord with Sheppard Pratt's Disclosure Policy, as well as standards of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) and the American Medical Association (AMA), all planners, reviewers, speakers and persons in control of content have been asked to disclose any relationship he /she has with any entity producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing health care goods or services consumed by, or used on, patients, during the past 24 months. All planners, reviewers and speakers have also been asked to disclose any payments accepted for this lecture from any entity besides Sheppard Pratt, and if there will be discussion of any products, services, or off-label uses of product(s) during this presentation.

Michelle Massi, LCMFT, reports being a faculty member for the IOCDF BTTI.  She will not discuss any products, services, or off-label uses in this presentation. All relationships have been mitigated through review. 

Event Planners/Reviewers Disclosures: The following event planners and/or reviewers are reported as having no financial interest, arrangement or affiliation with any entity producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing health care goods or services consumed by, or used on, patients, during the past 24 months: Jon Hershfield, LMFT, Todd Peters, MD, Elizabeth Ryznar, MD, MSc, Louis Marino, MD, Devi Bhuyan, PsyD, Faith Dickerson, PhD, Carrie Etheridge, LCSW-C, Tom Flis, LCPC, Alfredo Sagisi, DNP, MS, RN, FACHE, Lisa E. Seldon, DNP, MSA, RN, NEA-BC, Lisa Illum, MLIS, MEd, and Jennifer Tornabene.

Physician Statement: Sheppard Pratt is accredited by The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.  Sheppard Pratt takes responsibility for the content, quality, and scientific integrity of this CME activity.  Sheppard Pratt designates this enduring activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™.  Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Nurse Statement: Sheppard Pratt is approved as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the Maryland Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. Sheppard Pratt takes responsibility for the content, quality, and scientific integrity of this CME activity. This activity provides 1.0 contact hour for nurses.

Psychologist Statement: Sheppard Pratt is authorized by the State Board of Examiners of Psychologists as a sponsor of continuing education. Sheppard Pratt takes responsibility for the content, quality, and scientific integrity of this CE activity.  Sheppard Pratt designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1.0 contact hour for Psychologists.

Social Worker Statement: Sheppard Pratt is authorized by the Board of Social Work Examiners of Maryland to offer continuing education for Social Workers.  Sheppard Pratt takes responsibility for the content, quality, and scientific integrity of this CE activity. This activity is approved for 1.0 contact hour in Category II credits for Social Workers.

Counselor Statement:  Sheppard Pratt has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 5098.  Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified.  Sheppard Pratt is solely responsible for all aspects of the program.  This activity is available for 1.0 NBCC clock hour.

Available Credit

  • 1.00 ACEP NBCC clock hours
  • 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
  • 1.00 Category II credits for Social Workers
  • 1.00 Psychologists
  • 1.00 MNA Contact Hours for Nurses
  • 1.00 Participation
Please login or register to take this course.

ON DEMAND WEBINAR: FOR BEST RESULTS WATCH USING GOOGLE CHROME

OCD & Anxiety Lecture Series: Is it All in My Head: Treating Health Anxiety

Michelle Massi, LFMT

Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist

Private Practice

Los Angeles, CA

Originally reviewed on October 30, 2024
Originally broadcast live November 1, 2024, from 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm ET.
Enduring Activity Credit Expiration Date: December 17, 2026.

Activity Time: One hour recorded webinar lecture with a 15-minute evaluation process. Total Time: 1:15.

TO EARN CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDIT FOR YOUR ATTENDANCE
On the OVERVIEW or REGISTER/TAKE COURSE tab, select the GREEN RECTANGLE, TAKE COURSE to begin.
Complete the Pretest and select NEXT in the bottom right corner of the screen. Use the NEXT button for best results.
The PowerPoint handout will be available for download.
After downloading the handout, select NEXT to begin and watch the video. 
You may need to select play for the video to begin.
After the video follow the prompts to complete the posttest, evaluation, and attestation of credit. 
Once you have completed all the components of the Course Progress bar, the certificate will be immediately downloadable.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT
There is no commercial support for this activity.

Questions? Look at our FAQ’s at https://cme.sheppardpratt.org/content/faq or Email cme@sheppardpratt.org

Required Hardware/software

Optimal System Configuration

Flash Player: Adobe Flash Player 10.1+
Browser: Firefox 3+, Internet Explorer 8.0+, Safari 4.0+, or Google Chrome 7.0+
Operating System: Windows XP+ or Mac OS X 10.4+
Internet Connection: 1 Mbps or higher

Minimum Requirements

Windows PC: 500-MHz Pentium II; Windows XP or higher; 128 MB RAM; Video Card at least 64MB of video memory; Sound Card at least 16-bit; Macromedia Flash Player 10 or higher, audio playback with speakers for programs with video content; Firefox 1.1+, Internet Explorer 7.0+, Safari 1.0+, Google Chrome, or Opera
Macintosh: Mac OS X 10.3 or higher with latest updates installed; 1.83MHz Intel Core Duo or faster; RAM: 128MB or more; Video Card: at least 64MB of video memory; Sound Card: at least 16-bit

Hardware/Software Specifications

This internet-based CME activity is best experienced using Internet Explorer 8+, Mozilla Firefox 3+, Safari 4+. This Web site requires that JavaScript and session cookies be enabled. Certain activities may require additional software to view multimedia, presentation, or printable versions of the content. These activities will be marked as such and will provide links to the required software. That software may be: Adobe Flash, Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Windows Media Player.