Is "somatisation" a defense against the acknowledgment of psychiatric disorder?
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether experiencing physical symptoms is associated with a denial of psychological distress in individuals with probable psychiatric disorder.


METHODS
A nested case-control study was performed using data from a national birth cohort study. All subjects who scored above threshold on a case-finding questionnaire of psychiatric disorder were identified. Those who in a separate question endorsed the presence of psychiatric disorder ("acknowledgers") were compared with those who did not.


RESULTS
Acknowledgers were more likely to be female, better educated and have more severe current and past psychiatric disorder. They were also more likely to report multiple physical symptoms, even when potential confounders and severity of psychiatric disorder were controlled.


CONCLUSIONS
There is no evidence that experiencing multiple physical symptoms helps the individual deny the presence of psychiatric disorder.
Hotopf
M
M
Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Guy's King's and St. Thomas' School of Medicine, King's College London, 103 Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AZ, UK. m.hotopf@iop.kcl.ac.uk
Wadsworth
M
M
Wessely
S
S
D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003674:Defense Mechanisms; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000523:psychology*; D012650:Self Disclosure; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology