title: Assessing somatization with various diagnostic criteria.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Lara
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mangelli
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bravi
authors.forename: Giovanni A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Fava
authors.forename: Fedra
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ottolini
authors.forename: Piero
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Porcelli
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rafanelli
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rigatelli
authors.forename: Nicoletta
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sonino
mesh_terms: 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