Specific somatoform disorder in the general population

The authors assessed the validity of the recently proposed diagnosis for specific somatoform disorder in the general population. German versions of the DSM-IV adapted Composite International Diagnostic Interview were administered to a representative sample of 4075 individuals. Multivariate analyses were used to compare impairment, life satisfaction, and use of health care. A total of 803 of 4075 subjects (19.7%) with undifferentiated somatization disorder were identified, which included 51 subjects (1.3%) who met criteria for specific somatoform disorder. Subjects with specific somatoform disorder were more impaired, had lower life satisfaction, and had higher use of health care than subjects with undifferentiated somatization disorder only. The proposed diagnosis of specific somatoform disorder demonstrated a high validity independent of comorbid depressive and anxiety disorders.