Skip to main content

Somatoform symptoms in depressive and panic syndromes

International Journal of Behavioral Medicine volume 2, pages 51–65 (1995)Cite this article

Abstract

Somatoform symptoms are common features of psychological and psychosomatic disorders. This study addresses the question of whether somatoform symptoms differ in patients with panic syndromes, with depressive syndromes, or with somatization syndromes without depression or panic syndromes. We therefore investigated 135 inpatients of a psychosomatic clinic and identified 64 patients for the depression group, 31 for the panic subgroup, and 18 for the somatization syndrome group. Neither the number of somatization symptoms nor the pattern of somatoform symptoms differed substantially among the 3 groups, except for higher frequencies of palpitations in the panic group and more abdominal pain symptoms in the depressive group. The 3 groups showed nearly identical frequency distributions of the individual somatoform symptoms. All 3 groups showed elevated hypochondriasis scores. In personality dimensions, depressive patients showed the lowest scores for extraversion. The improvements during inpatient treatment on the somatization variables, as well as general psychopathology, were also comparable. We favor the interpretation that the somatization syndrome is a fairly uniform syndrome whether or not it occurs alone or in combination with depressive syndromes or panic syndromes.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Price includes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

References

  • American Psychiatric Association (1987).Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (3rd ed., rev.). Washington, DC: Author.

    Google Scholar 

  • American Psychiatric Association. (1994).Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington. DC: Author.

    Google Scholar 

  • Angst, J., & Dobler-Mikola, A. (1985). The Zurich Study VI. A continuum from depression to anxiety disordersEuropean Archives of Psychiatry and Neurological Sciences.235 179–186.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barsky, A. J., Wyshak, G., & Klerman, G. L. (1992). Psychiatric comorbidity in DSM-III-R hypochondriasis.Archives of General Psychiatry.49, 101–108.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • CIPS. (1986).Internationale SkalenfarPsychiatrie [International scales for psychiatry]. Weinheim, Germany: Beltz.

    Google Scholar 

  • Derogatis, L. R. (1977).SCL-90-R. Administration. scaring. and procedures manual far the revised version. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University of Medicine.

    Google Scholar 

  • Escobar, J. I., Rubio-Stipec, M., Canino, G., & Karno, M. (1989). Somatic Symptom Index (SSI): A new and abridged somatization construct.Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease.177, 140–146.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fahrenberg, J., Hampel, R., & Selg, H. (1989).Das Freiburger Personlichkeitsinventar FPI. 5. erganzte Auflage. Gottingen, Germany: Hogrefe.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fauman, M. A. (1994).Study guide to DSM-IV. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Feldman, L. A. (1993). Distinguishing depression and anxiety in self-report: Evidence from confirmatory factor analysis on nonclinical and clinical samples.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 61, 631–638.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hautzinger, M., & Bailer, M. (1992).Allgemeine Depressionsskala (ADS). Deutsche Form der Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) Weinheim, Germany: Beltz. Test.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hiller, W., Rief, W., & Fichter, M. M., (in press), Further evidence for a broader concept of somatization disorder using the Somatic Symptom Index (SSI).Psychosomatics.

  • Hiller, W., Zaudig, M., & von Bose, M. (1989). The overlap between depression and anxiety on different levels of psychopalhology.Journal of Affective Disorders.16, 223–231

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Katon, W., Lin, E., Von Korff, M., Russo, J., Lipscomb, P., & Bush, P. (1991). Somatization. A spectrum of severity.American Journal of Psychiatry, 148, 34–40

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kellner, R., Hernandez, J., & Pathak, D. (1992). Hypochondriacal fears and beliefs, anxiety, and somatisation.British Journal of Psychiatry, 160, 525–532.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  • King, R., Margraf, J., Ehlers, A., & Maddock, R. (1986). Panic disorder—overlap wish symptoms of somatization disorder. In I. Hand & H. U., Wittchen (Eds.),Panic and phobias (pp. 72–80). New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kirmyer, L. J., & Robbins, J. M. (1991). Three forms of somatization in primary care: Prevalence, co-occurrence, and sociodemographic characteristics.Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 179. 647–655.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pilowsky, I. (1967). Dimensions of hypochondriasis.British Journal.of Psychiatry, 113, 89–93.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Radloff, L. S. (1977). The CES-D scale: A self-report depression scale for research in the general population.Applied Psychological Measurement, 3, 385–401.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rief, W., & Fichter, M. M. (1992). The Symptom Check List SCL-90-R and its ability to discriminate between dysthymia, anxiety disorders, and anorexia nervosa.Psychoputhology, 25, 128–138.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rief, W., Hiller, W., Geissner, E., & Fichter, M. M. (1994). Hypochondrie—Erfassung und erste klinische Ergebnisse [Hypochondriasis—assessment and preliminary clinical results].Zeitschrift für Klinische Psychologie, 23, 34–42.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rief, W., Hiller, W., Geissner, E., & Fiehter, M. M. (in press). A two-year follow-up study of patients with somatoform disorders.Psychosomtltics.

  • Rief, W., Schaefer, S.. & Fichter, M. M. (1992). SOMS—ein Screening-Verfahren zur Identifizierung von Personen mil somatoformen Storungen. [SOMS—a screening instrument to identify subjects with somatoform disorders].Diagnostica.38, 228–241.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rief, W., Sehaefar, S., Hiller, W., & Fichter, M. M. (1992). Lifetime diagnoses in patients with somatoform disorders—which came first?European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurascience.241, 236–240.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spitzer, R. L., Williams, J. B. W., Gibbon, M., & First, M. B. (1990).SCID—structured clinical interview for DSM-III-R. Washington. DC: American Psychiatric Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wittchen, H. U., & Essau, C. A. (1989). Comorbidity of anxiety disorders and depression: Does it affect course and outcome?Journal of Psychiany and Psychobiology.4, 315–323.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wittchen, H. U., Essau, C. A., Rief, W., & Fichter, M. M. (1993). Assessment of somatoform disorders and comorbidity patterns with the CIDI—findings in psychosomatic inpatients.International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, 3, 87–99.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wittchen, H. U., Schramm, E., Zaudig, M., Spengler, P., Rummler, R., & Mnmbour, W. (1990).SKID Strukturiertes klinisches Interview fur DSM-III-R. Weinheim, Germany: Beltz Test.

    Google Scholar 

  • World Health Organization. (1993).The ICD-10 classification of mental and behavioural disorders; Diagnostic criteria for research (DCR), Geneva: Author.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Klinik Roseneck-Center for Behavioral Medicine, Prien am Chiemsee, Germany and University of Munich-Psychiatric Institute, Am Roseneck 6, D-83209 Prien am Chiemsee, Munich, Germany

    Winfried Rief, Wolfgang Hiller & Manfred M. Fichter

Authors
  1. Winfried Rief
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Wolfgang Hiller
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Manfred M. Fichter
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Rief, W., Hiller, W. & Fichter, M.M. Somatoform symptoms in depressive and panic syndromes. Int. J. Behav. Med. 2, 51–65 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327558ijbm0201_5

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327558ijbm0201_5

Key words

  • somatoform disorders
  • somatization disorder
  • panic disorder
  • affective disorder
  • abridged somatization disorder
  • hypochondriasis