[11] Somatic symptom disorder typically leads to poor functioning, interpersonal issues, unemployment or problems at work, and financial strain as a result of excessive healthcare visits.
Symptoms may result from a heightened awareness of specific physical sensations paired with a tendency to interpret these experiences as signs of a medical ailment.
[9] Those suffering from somatic symptom disorder experience recurring and obsessive feelings and thoughts concerning their well-being.
Common examples include severe anxiety regarding potential ailments, misinterpreting normal sensations as indications of severe illness, believing that symptoms are dangerous and serious despite lacking medical basis, claiming that medical evaluations and treatment have been inadequate, fearing that engaging in physical activity will harm the body, and spending a disproportionate amount of time thinking about symptoms.
25.6% of fibromyalgia patients met the somatic symptom disorder criteria exhibited higher depression rates than those who did not.
[11] In one study, 28.8% of those with somatic symptom disorder had asthma, 23.1% had a heart condition, and 13.5% had gout, rheumatoid arthritis, or osteoarthritis.
[17][18] Alcohol and drug abuse are frequently observed, and sometimes used to alleviate symptoms, increasing the risk of dependence on controlled substances.
[19] Other complications include poor functioning, problems with relationships, unemployment or difficulties at work, and financial stress due to excessive hospital visits.
A study of monozygotic and dizygotic twins found that genetic components contributed 7% to 21% of somatic symptoms, with the remainder related to environmental factors.
[2] Evidence suggests that along with more broad factors such as early childhood trauma or insecure attachment, negative psychological factors including catastrophizing, negative affectivity, rumination, avoidance, health anxiety, or a poor physical self-concept have a significant impact on the shift from unproblematic somatic symptoms to a severely debilitating somatic symptom disorder.
[27] In somatic disorder, there is a negative connection between elevated pain scores and 5-hydroxy indol acetic acid (5-HIAA) and tryptophan levels.
The relevant brain regions include the dorsolateral prefrontal, insular, rostral anterior cingulate, premotor, and parietal cortices.
Researchers take into account the various processes involved in the development of somatic symptom disorder as well as the interactions between various biological and psychosocial factors.
[26] Because those with somatic syndrome disorder typically have comprehensive previous workups, minimal laboratory testing is encouraged.
[2] Specific tests, such as thyroid function assessments, urine drug screens, restricted blood studies, and minimal radiological imaging, may be conducted to rule out somatization because of medical issues.
[35] On a five-point scale, respondents rate how much stomach or digestive issues, back discomfort, pain in the legs, arms, or joints, headaches, chest pain or shortness of breath, dizziness, feeling tired or having low energy, and trouble sleeping impacted them in the preceding seven days.
Other functional diseases with unknown etiology, such as fibromyalgia and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), tend not to present with excessive thoughts, feelings, or maladaptive behavior.
[6] Because people with somatic symptom disorder may have a low threshold for adverse reactions, medication should be started at the lowest possible dose and gradually increased to produce a therapeutic effect.
[40][41][6] CBT aims to help patients realize their ailments are not catastrophic and to enable them to gradually return to activities they previously engaged in, without fear of "worsening their symptoms".
[45] Overall, psychologists recommend addressing a common difficulty in patients with somatic symptom disorder in the reading of their own emotions.
[2] Some investigations suggest people can recover; the natural history of the illnesses implies that around 50% to 75% of patients with medically unexplained symptoms improve, whereas 10% to 30% deteriorate.
A strong, positive relationship between the physician and the patient is crucial, and it should be accompanied by frequent, supportive visits to avoid the temptation to medicate or test when these interventions are not obviously necessary.
[4] Somatic symptom disorder affects 5% to 7% of the general population, with a higher female representation, and can arise throughout childhood, adolescence, or adulthood.
Somatic symptom disorder has long been a contentious diagnosis because it was based solely on negative criteria, namely the absence of a medical explanation for the presenting physical problems.
As a result, any person suffering from a poorly understood illness may meet the criteria for this psychological diagnosis, regardless of whether they exhibit psychiatric symptoms in the traditional sense.
[55][56] Allen Frances, chair of the DSM-IV task force, claimed that the DSM-5's somatic symptom disorder brings with it a risk of mislabeling a sizable proportion of the population as mentally ill.[clarification needed] Millions of people could be mislabeled, with the burden falling disproportionately on women, because they are more likely to be casually dismissed as 'catastrophizers' when presenting with physical symptoms.