BACKGROUND Better management of affective and somatoform disorders may reduce consultation rates in primary care. Somatoform disorders are highly prevalent in primary care and co-morbidity with affective disorders is substantial, but it is as yet unclear which portion of the health care use may be ascribed to each disorder. Our objective was to investigate the use of primary care for undifferen...

This article reviews the research evidence for the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for somatoform disorders. Randomized controlled studies support the efficacy of individual CBT for the treatment of hypochondriasis, body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), and undifferentiated somatoform disorders including medically unexplained symptoms, chronic fatigue syndrome, and noncardiac chest pai...

PURPOSE The objective of this study was to examine the relation between anger management style and organ system- related somatic symptoms in depressive disorder and somatoform disorder patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS The subjects included 73 patients with depressive disorders and 47 with somatoform disorders. Anger management styles were assessed by the Anger Expression Scale, while the sever...

OBJECTIVE This study aimed (1) to describe frequencies of DSM IV somatisation disorder, undifferentiated somatoform disorder and pain disorder versus DSM 5 somatic symptom disorder (SSD) in a multi-setting population of patients with medically unexplained physical symptoms (MUPS), (2) to investigate differences in sociodemographic and (psycho)pathological characteristics between these diagnosti...

This study investigated levels of self-esteem and self-reported depressive symptomatology in a sample of children diagnosed with somatoform disorder. The somatoform sample, a sample of children with depressive disorders, and a sample of children with no DSM-III-R diagnosis differed significantly on measures of depression and self-esteem. Specifically, the somatoform group consistently scored be...

Somatization disorder is characterized by the presence of multiple chronic distressing somatic symptoms that are not medically explained. Patients with this condition tend to be highly anxious about their symptoms, even in the face of evidence that their condition is not medically serious. In the draft of the upcoming Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V), this condition...

OBJECTIVE A significant amount of evidence indicates that some antidepressants have an analgesic effect. We wished to determine whether this analgesic effect could be demonstrated in studies that had used antidepressants for the treatment of pain in patients diagnosed with psychogenic pain or somatoform pain disorder. Meta-analysis was used for this purpose. METHODS All randomized, placebo-co...

OBJECTIVE The new DSM-5 Somatic Symptom Disorder (SSD) emphasizes the importance of psychological processes related to somatic symptoms in patients with somatoform disorders. To address this, the Somatic Symptoms Experiences Questionnaire (SSEQ), the first self-report scale that assesses a broad range of psychological and interactional characteristics relevant to patients with a somatoform diso...

BACKGROUND Our goal was to evaluate the effectiveness, safety and tolerability of duloxetine in the treatment of children and adolescents with somatoform disorder. RESULTS We describe two cases, those of an 11-year old girl and a 17-year old boy, evaluated in our Department after being studied by a Pediatrician and Neuropediatrician due to complex physical symptoms. The evaluations to rule ou...

BACKGROUND Our purpose was to examine the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Patient Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15) in Taiwan, and to explore its relation to somatoform disorders (DSM-IV) and to somatic symptom and related disorders (DSM-5). METHODS We recruited 471 individuals, 151 with somatoform disorders and 200 with somatic symptom and related disorders. Subjects co...