[Hypochondriac complaint of elderly patients].

Hypochondriac complaints made by elderly patients are encountered not only at psychiatrist but highly possible at any departments. Therefore, all clinical doctors have equal chance to encounter such patients and must keep this fact in their mind. In this paper, hypochondriasis is described by the degree of the patients' complaints. First of all, cases that actually have organic causes were examined. Then the degree of the patients' complaints such as slight, firm, and delusional was described in that order. We must understand the degree of the complaints and then move to treatment. Some cases further develop suicide ideation or become delusional; such conditions often require to be treated as inpatients. Thus, referral to specialist is desirable.