Somatization: a debilitating syndrome in primary care.
Somatization is a significant problem for clinical medicine. Unlike somatization disorder, which is relatively rare, abridged somatization, a less severe form of somatization, is prevalent in primary care clinics. The authors examined the clinical status and functioning of patients diagnosed with a depression or anxiety disorder comorbid with abridged somatization and compared them with patients diagnosed with a depression or anxiety disorder alone. The authors examined severity of physical functioning and psychopathology in relation to diagnostic status. Patients diagnosed with both abridged somatization and a depression or anxiety disorder were more physically impaired and more anxious than those diagnosed with a depression or anxiety disorder alone. The results suggest that abridged somatization frequently coexists with depression and anxiety and thus complicates the presentation of these disorders.
Allen
L A
LA
Department of Psychiatry, University of Medicine and Dentisitry of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway 08854, USA.
Gara
M A
MA
Escobar
J I
JI
Waitzkin
H
H
Silver
R C
RC
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011320:Primary Health Care; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*