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Handbook of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry pp 152–167Cite as

Hypochondriasis and Somatization Disorder

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On a busy day in a general physician’s office, perhaps 50% or more of the patients with physical complaints will have no definitive explanation for their ailment (Kroenke and Mangelsdorff, 1989). The patients present with distress from fatigue, chest pain, cough, back pain, shortness of breath, and a host of other painful or worrisome bodily concerns. For most, the physician’s expressing interest, taking a thorough history, doing a physical examination, and offering reassurance, a modest intervention, or a pharmacologic prescription suffices to assuage the patient’s pain, anxiety, and physical distress. But for some, these simple measures fall short of their expected result, marking the beginning of what may become a chronic search for relief, including frequent anxiety-filled visits to more than one physician, and in extreme cases even multiple hospitalizations and possibly surgery.

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  1. Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

    Don R. Lipsitt M.D

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Lipsitt, D.R. (2007). Hypochondriasis and Somatization Disorder. In: Handbook of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-69255-5_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-69255-5_14

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