Somatoform disorder (or Somatization) is characterized by repeated, multiple complaints of true clinical significance, somatic issues (i.e. organic). But the doctor is unable to identify disease causing disorder...
In the absence of a cause traumatic, infectious, tumor or degenerative, this disorder is considered of psychological origin.
Symptoms
Complaints begins often before the age of 30. They are repeated and last several years.
The suffering can result in family, professional, social problems.
Pain is the most frequent complaints, either on a body (often head, shoulders and arms, back, joints, hands and feet) in an action (sexual intercourse, urination)
Pain are associated with gastrointestinal problems (nausea, bloating, food repulsion...), sexual (disinterest, pain, impotence...), and neurological (hallucination, dizziness, deafness, blindness...)
Features
The subjects of the somatoform disorder often present symptoms in adolescence, and almost always before the thirty.
They sometimes anxious or depressive tendencies.
The consultation of many doctors and the multiplication of the treatments are ineffective, if not exacerbate symptoms by side effect of unnecessary medications.
The suffering being diffuse, irregular, it is difficult to describe his disorder.
Prevalence, evolution
It is estimated that 0.5-2% of women, and less than 0.5% of men are subject to disabilities somatoform disorders during their existence.
When a close biological relative is key, the risk is slightly higher to suffer the disorder (+ 10 to + 20%).
The disorder is often chronic. But it is very fluctuating, with sometimes periods of several weeks to several months without symptoms.
Some patients heal spontaneously: the evils which they have poisoned the existence disappear without reason.
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