Assessing somatization with various diagnostic criteria.
BACKGROUND
Somatization is a widespread clinical phenomenon that cuts across diagnostic categories, both psychiatric and medical.


OBJECTIVE
This study investigates whether somatization can be assessed with a comprehensive diagnostic system, the Diagnostic Criteria for Psychosomatic Research (DCPR) in gastroenterology and cardiology (myocardial infarction) patients.


METHODS
Authors assessed a group of 343 outpatients, 190 gastroenterology and 153 cardiology outpatients, with functional gastrointestinal disorders and recent first myocardial infarction.


RESULTS
A total of 146 patients were diagnosed by the DCPR Somatization cluster and 106 by the DCPR Abnormal Illness Behavior cluster; 27 patients who met DSM-IV criteria for somatoform disorders were not classified with any DCPR somatization syndromes, whereas 120 with DCPR Somatization cluster did not satisfy the criteria for DSM-IV somatoform disorders.


CONCLUSIONS
Findings suggest that the DCPR is able to identify clinical and subthreshold psychosomatic syndromes and that it can used jointly with the DSM-IV.
Mangelli
Lara
L
Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
Bravi
Alessandra
A
Fava
Giovanni A
GA
Ottolini
Fedra
F
Porcelli
Piero
P
Rafanelli
Chiara
C
Rigatelli
Marco
M
Sonino
Nicoletta
N
D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000523:psychology*; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology