Somatoform disorders--an update
Egle, U.T.
MMW Fortschritte der Medizin 147 Spec no 2: 4-6
2005
ISSN/ISBN: 1438-3276 PMID: 15968864 Document Number: 584838
Somatoform disorders occur frequently. The patients complain about numerous physical problems and/or pain for which, as a rule, an organic pathological cause cannot be not found. They are not willing to or cannot accept psychosomatic explanations. The real cause is faulty stress processing due to earlier biographical factors, for example, an early attachment disorder. A behavioral therapy could help the patient cope with the everyday routine; it influences the symptoms and signs, but does not fundamentally change them. Psychodynamic approaches are very promising. For comorbidity with anxiety or a depressive disorder as well as certain forms of fibromyalgia, psychopharmaceutical drugs should be additionally given.