Open AccessUnderstanding and managing somatoform disorders: Making sense of non-sense
Author(s) -
Roy Abraham Kallivayalil,
Varghese P Punnoose
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
indian journal of psychiatry/indian journal of psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.485
H-Index - 34
eISSN - 1998-3794
pISSN - 0019-5545
DOI - 10.4103/0019-5545.69239
Subject(s) - somatization , somatization disorder , psychology , common sense , etiology , public health , health care , psychiatry , medicine , mental health , political science , nursing , law
Somatization is a clinical and public health problem as it can lead to social dysfunction, occupational difficulties and increased healthcare use. Hence understanding somatoform disorders is of paramount importance, especially so in developing countries like India. This paper discusses the history and evolution of the concept of somatization and somatoform disorders, etiological considerations, classification, assessment, diagnosis and clinical management. Research from India, controversies and criticisms and future perspectives are mentioned. A new model to understand functional somatic symptoms, in Indian setting is also proposed.