Management of somatic symptom disorder. 2018

Peter Henningsen
Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, Technical University of Munich, Germany.

This review paper gives an overview of the management of somatic symptom disorder. It starts with a description of the clinical problem of patients with persistent bodily distress, discusses classificatory, epidemiological, and etiological issues and then describes the evidence and practical principles of dealing with these patients who are often seen as "difficult" to treat. It is concluded that the best-suited approach is stepped care with close cooperation of primary care, a somatic specialist, and mental health care professionals operating on the basis of a biopsychosocial model of integrating somatic as well as psychosocial determinants of distress and therapeutic factors.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D011788 Quality of Life A generic concept reflecting concern with the modification and enhancement of life attributes, e.g., physical, political, moral, social environment as well as health and disease. HRQOL,Health-Related Quality Of Life,Life Quality,Health Related Quality Of Life
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000071896 Medically Unexplained Symptoms Persistent health symptoms which remain unexplained after a complete medical evaluation. A cluster of symptoms that consistently appear together but without a known cause are referred to as a MEDICALLY UNEXPLAINED SYNDROME (MUS). Somatic Symptoms,Medically Unexplained Symptom,Somatic Symptom,Symptom, Medically Unexplained,Symptom, Somatic,Symptoms, Medically Unexplained,Symptoms, Somatic,Unexplained Symptom, Medically,Unexplained Symptoms, Medically
D000223 Adaptation, Psychological A state of harmony between internal needs and external demands and the processes used in achieving this condition. (From APA Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms, 8th ed). Behavior, Adaptive,Healthy Adaptation,Positive Adaptation,Psychological Recovery,Adaptation, Psychologic,Adjustment,Psychological Adaptation,Adaptation, Healthy,Adaptation, Positive,Adaptive Behavior,Adaptive Behaviors,Healthy Adaptations,Positive Adaptations,Psychologic Adaptation,Psychological Recoveries,Recovery, Psychological
D019468 Disease Management A broad approach to appropriate coordination of the entire disease treatment process that often involves shifting away from more expensive inpatient and acute care to areas such as preventive medicine, patient counseling and education, and outpatient care. This concept includes implications of appropriate versus inappropriate therapy on the overall cost and clinical outcome of a particular disease. (From Hosp Pharm 1995 Jul;30(7):596) Disease Managements,Management, Disease,Managements, Disease
D039721 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Categorical classification of MENTAL DISORDERS based on criteria sets with defining features. It is produced by the American Psychiatric Association. (DSM-IV, page xxii) DSM-IV,DSM-II,DSM-III,DSM-V

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