Attitudes of British psychiatrists to the diagnosis of somatisation disorder. A questionnaire survey.
A postal questionnaire was sent to 195 senior British psychiatrists who were asked about their attitudes towards the DSM-III-R diagnosis of somatisation disorder (SD) and the ICD-10 diagnosis of multiple somatisation disorder. Of the 148 respondents, 98 (66%) had experience of liaison psychiatry, and these psychiatrists used the diagnosis significantly more often than those without liaison sessions. More than half the respondents perceived SD as both a personality disorder and a mental state disorder, although 27% thought that patients with SD had an undiagnosed physical disease. The marked discrepancy between British and North American psychiatrists in diagnostic practices was perceived to be a consequence of both the difference in health care systems and the interest shown in the disorder by North American psychiatrists, rather than a reflection of genuine differences in prevalence.
Stern
J
J
Maudsley Hospital, Denmark Hill, London.
Murphy
M
M
Bass
C
C
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D010348:Patient Care Team; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011570:Psychiatry; D011594:Psychometrics; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D013038:Specialization; D006113:United Kingdom