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Related Experiment Videos

Somatoform disorders: perspectives from Pakistan.

Fareed A Minhas1, Asad Tamizuddin Nizami

  • 1Institute of Psychiatry, WHO Collaborating Centre for Mental Health Research & Training, Rawalpindi Medical College, Rawalpindi, Pakistan. fareedminhas@hotmail.com

International Review of Psychiatry (Abingdon, England)
|February 3, 2006
PubMed
Summary

Somatoform disorders, characterized by somatic complaints, are highly prevalent in Pakistan, affecting 66% of women and 25% of men. Effective management requires integrated medical, psychiatric, and psychosocial evaluations.

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Area of Science:

  • Psychiatry and Medicine
  • Epidemiology
  • Cross-cultural Psychiatry

Background:

  • Somatoform disorders present significant diagnostic and management challenges at the intersection of psychiatry and general medicine.
  • High prevalence of common mental disorders presenting as somatic complaints observed in community-based surveys.
  • Cultural factors influence emotional expression, with non-Western cultures often communicating distress somatically.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the prevalence and characteristics of somatoform disorders in Pakistan.
  • To highlight the diagnostic and management difficulties posed by these disorders.
  • To emphasize the need for improved training in somatoform disorders for medical professionals.

Main Methods:

  • Conducted three community-based epidemiological surveys in rural and urban Pakistan.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Utilized the Bradford Somatic Inventory (BSI), adapted to local language and cultural idioms.
  • Collected data on somatic symptoms, anxiety, and depressive disorders.

    • Main Results:

    • Estimated 66% of women and 25% of men experienced anxiety and depressive disorders with predominantly somatic complaints.
    • Demonstrated a high prevalence of somatoform presentations in the surveyed populations.
    • Identified significant functional impairments associated with somatoform disorders.

    Conclusions:

    • Somatoform disorders are common psychiatric conditions, particularly in non-psychiatric settings.
    • Comprehensive medical, psychiatric, and psychosocial evaluation is crucial for management.
    • Undergraduate and specialist training in somatoform disorders is essential for healthcare providers.