Sections
Somatoform Disorders: Introduction | Clinical Features | Somatization Disorder | Undifferentiated Somatoform Disorder | Hypochondriasis | Conversion Disorder | Pain Disorder | Body Dysmorphic Disorder | Somatoform Disorder Not Otherwise Specified | Etiology | Treatment | Key Points | References | Suggested Readings
Excerpt
Somatoform disorders comprise a heterogeneous group
of psychiatric illnesses in which physical symptoms or complaints
without objective organic causes are present and in which there
are strongly associated psychological factors. The seven somatoform
disorders listed in DSM-IV-TR (American Psychiatric Association 2000) are 1) somatization disorder, 2) undifferentiated
somatoform disorder, 3) hypochondriasis, 4) conversion
disorder, 5) pain disorder, 6) body dysmorphic
disorder (BDD), and 7) somatoform disorder not otherwise
specified. Prevalence rates vary by diagnosis, but in general, across ages,
somatoform disorders and their less severe variants have been seen
in 16% of primary care outpatients (DeWaal et al. 2004) and in 23% of outpatients with medically unexplained
symptoms (Smith et al. 2005).