Most current practitioners will use one over the other, though in cases of borderline diagnoses, both systems may be referred to.
[7] Sigmund Freud's case study of Anna O. featured a woman who suffered from numerous physical symptoms, which Freud believed were the result of repressed grief over her father's illness, although his assessment has been questioned by later research as treatment did not resolve her symptoms.
[8] Treatment for somatic symptom disorder typically combines different strategies for managing the patient's symptoms including regularly scheduled outpatient visits, psychosocial interventions (e.g., joint meetings with family members),[9][medical citation needed] psychoeducation, and treatment of prominent comorbid symptoms of anxiety or depression.
[citation needed] Based on multiple systematic reviews, the initial suggested treatment for somatic symptom disorder is regular, scheduled outpatient visits every 4–8 weeks that are not based on active symptoms.
These visits often focus on establishing a therapeutic alliance, legitimizing the somatic symptoms, and limiting diagnostic tests and referral to specialists.