Abstract
The concept of somatization disorder (SD) has evolved from hysteria and Briquet’s syndrome and is the current term applied to a specific type of illness behavior (Ford, 1983). By definition, patients with this disorder have multiple bodily complaints that cannot be explained physiologically. These complaints have origins from a variety of body systems, such as cardiac, renal, pulmonary, and genitourinary. The disorder must have been present for years and is diagnosed retrospectively with symptoms beginning before the age of 30.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Abbey, S. E., & Lipowski, Z. J. (1987). Comprehensive management of persistent somatization: An innovative treatment program. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 48, 110–115.
American Psychiatric Association (1987). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, (3rd ed., rev.). Washington, DC: Author.
Barsky, A. J., III. (1979). Patients who amplify bodily sensations. Annals of Internal Medicine, 91(1), 63–70.
Cloninger, C. R., Martin, R. L., Guze, S. B., & Clayton, P. J. (1986). A prospective follow-up and family study of somatization in men and women. American Journal of Psychiatry, 143, 873–878.
deGruy, F., Columbia, L., & Dickinson, P. (1987). Somatization disorder in a family practice. Journal of Family Practice, 25, 45–51.
Devaul, R. A., & Faillace, L. A. (1980). Surgery proneness: A review and clinical assessment. Psychosomatics, 32, 295–299.
Drake, M. E., Padamadan, H., & Pakainis, A. (1988). EEG frequency analysis in conversion and somatoform disorder. Clinical Electroencephalography, 19, 123–128.
Escobar, J. I., Swartz, M., Rubio-Stipec, M., & Mann, P. (1991). Medically unexplained symptoms: Distribution, risk factors and co-morbidity. In L.J. Kirmayer & J. M. Robbins (Eds.), Current concepts of somatization, research and clinical perspectives (pp. 63–78). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press.
Farley, J., Woodruff, R. A., & Guze, S. B. (1968). The prevalence of hysteria and conversion symptoms. British Journal of Psychiatry, 114, 1121–1125.
Ford, C. V. (1983). The somatizing disorders: Illness as a way of life. New York: Elsevier Biomedical.
Ford, C. V. (1984). Somatizing disorders. In H. B. Roback (Ed.), Helping patients and their families cope with medical problems (pp. 39–59). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Ford, C. V. (1992). Illness as a life style: The role of somatization in medical practice. Spine, 17, S338–S343.
Goldberg, D., Gask, L, & O’Dowd, T. (1989). The treatment of somatization: Teaching techniques of reattribution. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 33, 689–695.
Gordon, E., Kraiuhin, C., Meares, R., & Howson, A. (1986). Auditory evoked response potentials in somatization disorder. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 20, 237–248.
Gorman, J. M., Liebowitz, M. R., Fyer, A. J., & Stein, J. (1989). A neuroanatomical hypothesis for panic disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry, 146, 148–161.
Guze, S. B., Woodruff, R. A., & Clayton, P. J. (1971). Hysteria and antisocial behavior: Further evidence of an association. American Journal of Psychiatry, 127, 957–960.
James, L., Gordon, E., Kraiuhin, C., & Meares, R. (1989). Selective attention and auditory event-related potentials in somatization disorder. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 30, 84–89.
James, L., Singer, A., Zurnyski, Y., Gordon, E., Kraiuhin, C. J., Harris, A., Howson, A. J., & Meares, R. (1987). Evoked response potentials and regional cerebral blood flow in somatization disorder. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 47, 190–196.
Katon, W., Lin, E., von Korff, M., Russo, J., Lipscomb, P., & Bush, T. (1991). Somatization: A spectrum of severity. American Journal of Psychiatry, 148, 34–40.
Iiskow, B. I., Pennick, E. C., DeSouza, C., & Gabrielli, W. (1986). Is Briquet’s syndrome a heterogeneous disorder? American Journal of Psychiatry, 143(5), 334–338.
Iiss, J. L., Alpers, E., & Woodruff, R. A., Jr. (1973). The irritable colon syndrome and psychiatric illness. Diseases of the Nervous System, 34, 151–157.
Martin, R. L., Roberts, W. V., and Clayton, P. J. (1980). Psychiatric status after hysterectomy. Journal of the American Medical Association, 244, 350–353.
Mechanic, D., & Volkart, E. F. H. (1961). Illness behavior and the sick role. American Sociological Review, 26(1), 51–58.
Morrison, J. (1990). Managing somatization disorder. Disease-a-Month, 36(10), 537–591.
Morrison, J. R. (1978). Management of Briquet’s syndrome (hysteria). Western Journal of Medicine, 128, 482–487.
Nadelson, T. (1985). False patients/real patients: A spectrum of disease presentation. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 44, 175–184.
Noyes, R., Reich, S., Clancy, J., & O’Gorman, T. W. (1986). Reduction in hypochondriasis with treatment of panic disorder. British Journal of Psychiatry, 149, 631–635.
Orenstein, H. (1989). Briquet’s syndrome in association with depression and panic: A reconceptualization of Briquet’s syndrome. American Journal of Psychiatry, 146, 334–338.
Orenstein, H., Raskind, M. A., Wyllie, E., Raskind, W. H., & Soules, M. R. (1986). Polysymptomatic complaints and Briquet’s syndrome in polycystic ovary disease. American Journal of Psychiatry, 143, 768–771.
Rost, K. M., Akins, R. N., Brown, F. W., & Smith, G. R. (1992). The co-morbidity of DSM-III-R personality disorders in somatization disorder. General Hospital Psychiatry, 14, 322–326.
Sheehan, D. V., & Sheehan, K. H. (1982). The classification of anxiety and hysterical states. II: Toward a more heuristic classification. Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, 6(2), 386–393.
Smith, G. R., Jr. (1991). Somatization disorder in the medical setting. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association Press.
Smith, G. R., Jr. (1992). The epidemiology and treatment of depression when it coexists with somatoform disorders, somatization, or pain. General Hospital Psychiatry, 14, 265–272.
Smith, G. R., Jr., Monson, R. A., & Ray, D. C. (1986). Psychiatric consultation in somatization disorder. New England Journal of Medicine, 314, 1407–1413.
Smith, G. R., Jr., & Brown, F. W. (1990). Screening indexes in DSM-III-R somatization disorder. General Hospital Psychiatry, 12, 148–152.
Steinhart, M. J., Wong, P. Y., & Zarr, M. L. (1981). Therapeutic usefulness of amitriptyline in spastic colon syndrome. International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine, 11, 45–57.
Stoudemire, A., Brown, T. J., McCleod, M., Stewart, B., & Houpt, J. L. (1983). The combined medical specialties unit: An innovative approach to patient care. North Carolina Medical Journal, 44, 365–367.
Torgersen, S. (1986). Genetics of somatoform disorders. Archives of General Psychiatry, 43, 502–505.
Valko, R. J. (1976). Group therapy for patients with hysteria (Briquet’s disorder). Diseases of the Nervous System, 37, 484–487.
Young, S. J., Alpers, D. H., Norland, D. D., & Woodruff, R. A., Jr. (1976). Psychiatric illness and the irritable bowel syndrome. Gastroenterology, 70, 162–166.
Yutzy, S. H., Pribor, E. F., Cloninger, R. C., & Guze, S. B. (1992). Reconsidering the criteria for somatization disorder. Hospital and Community Psychiatry, 43(11), 1075–1076.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1994 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Parker, P.E., Ford, C.V. (1994). Somatization Disorder. In: Hersen, M., Ammerman, R.T. (eds) Handbook of Prescriptive Treatments for Adults. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-1456-9_14
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-1456-9_14
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4899-1458-3
Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-1456-9
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive