title: Illness as a lifestyle. The role of somatization in medical practice.
abstract: Persons with psychological problems who translate their distress into somatic symptoms (somatize) are frequent users of medical care. These patients often have underlying depression, anxiety, obsessive--compulsive symptoms, or personality disorders. Descriptions of the somatizing syndromes are provided in association with recommendations as how to recognize and manage the patient with somatization.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Alabama, School of Medicine, Birmingham.
authors.forename: C V
authors.initials: CV
authors.lastname: Ford
mesh_terms: D003291:Conversion Disorder; D005162:Factitious Disorders; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006300:Health Services Misuse; D006801:Humans; D008306:Malingering; D012803:Sick Role; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000191:economics