Publisher's Synopsis
Somatization is an area of major concern to clinicians who are confronted daily with diagnostic problems that combine both medical-biological and socio-psychological factors. "Current Concepts of Somatization: Research and Clinical Perspectives" reviews the literature on somatization, examines the actual classification of these disorders in DSM-III-R, makes recommendations regarding treatment, and points the way to future research.;Chapter 1 provides a broad overview of the somatoform disorders, tracing the development of the concept of somatization by highlighting the most influential and groundbreaking research in this area. In Chapter 2, the authors explore the role personality variables play in the formation and reporting of physical symptoms.;Drawing on their own, and others' research, they discuss the perceptual, dispositional, and genetic bases of symptom reporting. In Chapter 3, the focus is on the relationship between physical symptom reporting, psychiatric disorders, and medical care utilization. Several theories of somatization are reviewed along with the treatment implications for each theory. Research on distribution, risk factors, and comorbidity of somatization is reviewed in Chapter 4, and the development of the abridged somatization construct in light of current research is traced. By studying the results of research with patients diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, and fibromyalgia syndrome, the authors of Chapter 5 address the fundamental question involved in the understanding of somatization: are psychological factors causes, consequences or concomitants of functional somatic distress.
