The purpose of this study was a direct comparative evaluation of alexithymia in patients with somatoform disorder, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and depression, taking into account the multidimensionality of the alexithymia construct. The authors administered the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID) and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) to a sample of 234 subjec...

OBJECTIVE Trauma and dissociation tend to be interrelated. The objective of this study was to examine the frequency of traumatic experiences and somatoform dissociation in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) or rheumatoid arthritis (RA), two conditions that are both characterized by pain and disability. METHODS Patients with a diagnosis of FMS (2 male, 26 female; mean age 42 +/- 11 year...

Patients: 184 people aged 18–65 years with somatisation disorder, undifferentiated somatoform disorder, and somatoform autonomic dysfunction (somatic subscore of the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA-SOM) .12 and the psychic subscore (HAMA-PSY) of 5 points below HAMA-SOM). For inclusion, participants required a Somatoform Disorders Screening Instrument (SOM) SOMS-2 (number of 53 conditions present i...

OBJECTIVE To describe the assessment and treatment of severe functional impairment in a young female adolescent with somatoform pain disorder. METHODS Treatment included an inpatient hospital admission using a rehabilitation approach and behavior modification program. Standardized assessment of functional impairment and health-related quality of life was performed at baseline and follow-up. D...

BACKGROUND Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) has been investigated widely in patients with chronic pain, but no study has focused particularly on the situation of patients with persistent somatoform pain disorder. AIMS To survey the impairments of patients with somatoform pain disorder (ICD-10: F45.4) and to predict pain-related impairments and HRQOL on the basis of coping styles. METH...

Pathophysiological mechanisms are often unknown in patients suffering from "idiopathic" tinnitus, and the presence of other unexplained physical symptoms such as those seen in somatoform disorders can be assumed. This study investigates how often tinnitus exists in general medical out-patients with and without somatoform disorders. In an international study initiated by the World Health Organiz...

OBJECTIVE Given the prevalence and costs of somatoform disorders, it is important to identify and adequately treat these patients as early as possible. Instruments assessing experiences, perceptions, and behaviors of somatoform disorders are rare. In this study we evaluated the structure and validity of the German version of the Health Attitude Survey (HAS), a multidimensional self-report quest...

OBJECTIVE Somatoform disorders are characterized by patterns of persistent bodily complaints. Organic illness attributions are assumed to represent a central supporting factor in the development and maintenance of somatoform disorders. Using group control design, we aimed to investigate the processing of illness-belief-related word stimuli in somatoform pain disorder patients. METHODS Organic...

Mental disorders with pain as a leading symptom are remnat diagnostic categories for physicians and psychotherapist, even if they are educated in pain treatment. Patients with somatoform pain disorder (ICD-10: F45.4) are often diagnosed only after several years and multiple diagnostic procedures, in some cases after iatrogenic impairment. The clinical practical features, diagnostic procedure an...

Although hypochondriasis is currently classified as a somatoform disorder, the underlying cognitive processes may be more consistent with an anxiety disorder. This observation has important implications for treatment and subsequent revisions of the diagnostic classification of hypochondriasis.