title: On the laterality of psychogenic somatic symptoms.
abstract: Tabulation of cases reported in the literature of unilateral psychogenic somatic symptoms revealed that more symptoms were on the left side of the body than on the right; this result, although falling short of statistical significance, is consistent with recent reviews of hospital records by Stern and by Galin et al. A review of organic diseases and traumata for which lateral preferences have been reported, and a retrospective study of hospital emergency room records, provided no evidence for the hypothesis that the left-sided predominance of psychogenic symptoms is underlain by a generalized greater vulnerability of the left side to organic pathologies. The satus of three other explanations for the asymmetrical incidence of psychogenic symptoms is discussed.
mesh_terms: D003291:Conversion Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011602:Psychophysiologic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*