Overview of somatization-diagnosis and management

Abstract

Background: Neurologists and general practitioners frequently encounter patients with inexplicable, unintentionally produced somatic complaints otherwise known as somatoform disorders.
Methods: A literature search was performed including MEDLINE, as well as local and international journals using the following keywords/ phrases and crossreferencing: somatoform disorder, somatization, medically unexplained physical symptoms.
Results: Illness with excessive somatic preoccupation is difficult to diagnose or categorize reliably due to rigid diagnostic criteria that often overlap with several psychiatric disorders.
Conclusion: Management of patients with dysfunctional somatoform disorders is complex and challenging, particularly when initiated in a neurology outpatient or inpatient setting. The acronym CARE-MD represents a comprehensive treatment regimen that can be used to decrease physician and patient frustration, dramatically minimise health care over utilization, and improve overall well-being for patients with somatoform disorders.

Keywords: Somatoform disorders, somatization, hypochondriasis, medically unexplained physical symptoms