Somatoform disorders are characterized by physical symptoms that cannot be fully explained by medical factors. They include somatic symptom disorder, conversion disorder, and illness anxiety disorder. Somatic symptom disorder involves multiple somatic complaints and excessive thoughts about health. Conversion disorder involves neurological symptoms with no medical cause. Illness anxiety disorder involves excessive worry about having a serious illness. These disorders are thought to arise from psychological factors influencing mind-body interactions and are typically treated with psychotherapy.

1. Somatoform
Disorders (DSM
IV TR) = Somatic
Symptom and
related disorders
(DSM V)
Jacob Alexander
Senior Lecturer/Consultant
Psychiatrist
CHSA

2. Introduction
• Group of illnesses where bodily signs
and symptoms are a major focus
• Believed to originate from faulty
mind-body interactions- the brain
sends signals that impinge on the
patients awareness falsely
suggesting a serious problem in the
body
• The symptoms are medically
unexplained
• Patients are convinced that their
suffering comes from some type of
undetected and untreated bodily
derangement

3. Historical background…….
• “Somatoform”/ “ Somatic” derived from Greek “soma” –
body
• Grouped together for the first time in the DSM III in 1980
• Observed for a long time before that and several terms
used to refer to these disorders including neurasthenia,
hysteria and Briquet’s syndrome
• Some famous contributors-Jean Marie Charcot, Paul
Briquet, Sigmund Freud

4. Somatoform disorders
1. Somatization disorders- multiple organ system
involvement
2. Conversion disorders- neurological complaints
3. Hypochondriasis- worried about being sick with a
particular illness rather than a focus on physical
symptoms (Now Illness Anxiety disorder in DSM V)
4. Body dysmorphic disorder- dissatisfaction with a body
part (Now shifted to Obsessive disorders in the DSM V)
5. Persistent somatoform pain disorder- pain is the main
complaint (Now part of Somatic Symptom disorder in
DSM V)
6. Undifferentiated somatoform disorder
7. Somatoform disorder not otherwise specified

5. DSM V: Somatic Symptoms and
related disorders
• Somatic Symptom Disorder
• Illness anxiety disorder (Hypochondriasis)
• Conversion disorder (Functional Neurological Symptom
disorder)
• Psychological Factors affecting other medical conditions
• Factitious disorders
• Other specified Somatic Symptoms and related
disorders (pseudocyesis)
• Unspecified Somatic Symptom and related disorder

6. Somatic Symptom disorder
A. One or more somatic symptoms that are distressing or result in
significant disruption of daily life
B. Excessive thoughts, feelings or behaviours related to the somatic
symptoms or associated health concerns as manifested by at least
one of the following:
• Disproportionate and persistent thoughts about the seriousness of
one’s symptoms
• Persistently high levels of anxiety about health or symptoms
• Excessive time and energy devoted to these symptoms or health
concerns
C. State of being symptomatic is persistent > 6 months
Specify: predominant pain, persistent, severity

7. Somatic symptom disorder
A- many physical symptoms
- starting before the age of 30
- occur over a period of years
- leads to multiple medical consultations
and other attempts at seeking treatment
-significant impairment in social,
occupational, or other areas of
functioning
B -4 pain symptoms- related to at least 4
different sites or functions
-2 gastrointestinal symptoms other than
pain
-1sexual or reproductive symptom
-1 pseudoneurological symptom

8. Somatic Symptom disorder
C- despite appropriate
investigation, the symptoms
cannot be fully explained by a
known general medical condition
or the direct effects of a
substance
-when there is a related general
medical condition, the physical
complaints or resulting social or
occupational impairment are in
excess of what could be
expected from the history,
physical examination, or
laboratory findings.
D- the symptoms are not
intentionally produced or feigned

9. Somatic symptom disorder- some
facts
• Commoner in women (life time prevalence
0.2-2% of women and 0.2% of men)
• 5-10 % of patients presenting to a GP
• Inversely related to social position
• Usually beginning in teenage years
• Often co-morbid with other mental dis.-
depression and anxiety
• Common personality traits-avoidant,
paranoid, self-defeating, obsessive-
compulsive

10. Somatic Symptom disorder
Psychodynamic
factors
Learning theory
Social/Cultural factors
Biological factors
Genetic factors
Cytokines

11. Somatization disorder-clinical
features (commonest)
Common characteristics of presenting problem
• Long, complicated medical histories-confused time frames
• Patients frequently report they have been sickly all their life
• Psychological and interpersonal problems
• Suicide threats common but rarely acted upon
• Dramatic and emotional presentation of history and appearance
• Self centred, hungry for admiration, manipulative
Commonest Symptoms reported
• Nausea and vomiting other than during pregnancy
• Pain in the arms and legs
• Shortness of breath unrelated to exertion
• Amnesia
• Complications of pregnancy and menstruation

12. Somatic Symptom disorder-DD,
course and prognosis
Differential Diagnosis
• Genuine illness
• Psychiatric syndromes-depression, anxiety
• Life stressors with associated psychophysiological symptoms
• Other somatic related disorder
• Voluntary psychogenic symptoms or syndromes
Course
• chronic, undulating and relapsing illness
• Rarely fully remits- unusual for patients to be symptom free for more
than a year
• Not more likely than others to develop a medical illness at 20 yr follow
up

13. Somatic Symptom disorder-
treatment
• Single, identified physician as primary care giver
• Regular, scheduled visits usually at monthly intervals
• Keep interviews brief with a partial physical exam for
each new symptom expressed
• Generally avoid lab/diagnostic investigations
• Once diagnosed view these problems as being
communications of emotional distress
• Try and raise awareness of these symptoms being
responses to psychological pressures and see if you can
motivate patient to see a mental health clinician
• Individual or group psychotherapy

14. Somatic Symptom disorder- tasks
of psychotherapy
• Decrease the patients
personal health
expenditures
• Help to cope with their
symptoms
• Assist with expressing
underlying emotions
• Help to develop alternative
strategies for expressing
their feelings
• Psychopharmacological
intervention difficult

15. Conversion disorder
Neurological complaint
• With weakness or paralysis
• With abnormal movement
• With swallowing problems
• With speech problems
• With attacks or seizures
• With anaesthesia or sensory
loss
• With special sensory
symptoms
• With mixed symptoms

16. Conversion disorder
• Qaulifiers:
• Acute Episode < 6 months
• Persistent
• With/out psychological stressor

17. Conversion disorder
A- one or more symptoms of deficit affecting voluntary motor or sensory
function that suggest a neurological or other general medical
condition
B-Psychological factors are judged to be associated with the symptom
deficit because the initiation or exacerbation of the symptoms or
deficit is preceded by conflicts or other stressors
C-The symptom or deficit is not intentionally produced or feigned
D-The symptom or deficit cannot, after appropriate investigation, be fully
explained by a general medical condition or by the direct effects of a
substance, or as a culturally sanctioned behaviour or experience
E-Causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social,
occupational or other important areas of functioning or warrants
medical evaluation
F-The symptoms or deficit is not limited to pain or sexual dysfunction,
does not exclusively occur during the course of a somatisation
disorder and is not better accounted for by another mental disorder

18. Conversion disorder
Common amongst:
-F>M
-rural population
-little education
-low SES
-military personnel exposed to combat situations
Co-morbidities include-MDD, Anxiety,
schizophrenia, somatisation, histrionic pd,
passive-dependent pd

19. Conversion disorder-clinical
features
Motor symptoms
• Involuntary movements
• Tics
• Blepharospasm
• Torticollis
• Opisthotonus
• Seizures
• Abnormal gait
• Falling
• Astasia-Abasia
• Paralysis
• Weakness
• aphonia
Sensory deficits
• Anaesthesia of extremities
• Midline anaesthesia
• Blindness
• Tunnel vision
• Deafness
Visceral symptoms
• Psychogenic vomiting
• Pseudocyesis
• Globus hystericus
• Swooning or syncope
• Urinary retention
• diarrhoea

20. Conversion disorder-aetiology
Psychodynamic factors- intra-
psychic conflict, repression, sublimation,
projection
Learning theory/ social factors –
nonverbal means of controlling and
managing others
Biological factors- impaired
hemispheric function
Genetic factors- women probands more
prone to somatisation, depression and
anxiety, male probands more prone to
ASPD and substance abuse

21. Psychological Concepts in
Somatoform disorders
• Primary Gain- distracts from primary intra-
psychic conflict
• Secondary Gain-receives tangible benefits
to sick role
• La Belle indifference-indifference to what
should normally be anxiety provoking
symptoms
• Identification-assumption of symptoms of a
significant other

22. Conversion disorder-course and
prognosis
• Usually acute onset
• 95% remit spontaneously within 2 weeks of
hospital admission
• If symptoms present for more than 6 months
less than 50% remit spontaneously
• Good prognostic factors- clearly identifiable
stressor, acute onset, above average
intelligence and quick institution of treatment

23. Conversion disorder- treatment
• Relationship with a caring and confident
psychotherapist
• Insight-oriented supportive or behaviour
therapy
• Telling patients their symptoms are
imaginary makes them worse
• Hypnosis, anxiolytics and behavioural
relaxation exercises
• Psychodynamic psychotherapy

24. Illness Anxiety disorder
• Preoccupation with having or
acquiring a specific illness
• Somatic symptoms not present or
mild
• Concern excessive if at high risk or
if another medical condition present
• High level of anxiety about health,
easily alarmed about personal
health status
• Performs excessive health related
behaviours or exhibits maladaptive
avoidance
• Lasting 6 months or more
• Preoccupation causes significant
impairment or distress in a person’s
life

25. Illness Anxiety disorder-
aetiology
Psychodynamic factors-
intra-psychic conflict, projection,
deserving of punishment
Learning theory/ social
factors –symptoms often
learnt from past experiences,
often have related medical
illnesses
Biological factors- low
threshold for and low tolerance
of physical discomfort

26. Illness Anxiety disorder-
Treatment
• Psychiatric treatment in a medical setting
• Focus on stress reduction and education in coping with a
chronic illness
• Appear to do well in group therapy because it provides
them with the social support and interaction that they
need
• Long term regular follow up with physical exams and
investigations as necessary reassures the patients that
their physicians are not abandoning them and their
complaints are being taken seriously.
• Pharmacotherapy useful only when hypochondriacs
have an underlying drug responsive condition.

27. Psychological Factors Affecting other
Medical Conditions
• Physical Medical condition is present
• Psychological or Behavioural factors affect the medical condition:
1. Influence the course of the medical condition- exacerbation or
delayed recovery
2. Interfere with treatment of the medical condition
3. Constitute additional well-established health risks for the individual
4. Factors influence underlying pathophysiology, precipitating or
exacerbating symptoms necessitating medical attention
Qualifiers:
• Mild- increased medical risk
• Moderate- aggravates underlying medical condition
• Severe-results in hospitalisation or ED attendance
• Extreme- results in life-threatening risk

28. Factitious disorders
1. Imposed on self
2. Imposed on another
• Falsification of physical or psychological signs or symptoms
• Presents as an ill person
• Deception evident even in the absence of obvious external reward
• Qualifiers:
• Single episode
• Recurrent episode

29. The End