Development of a screening method for probable somatizing syndromes

"Somatizing syndromes" is proposed to describe all conditions in which patients present with somatic complaints but without signs of organic disease. Fifty consecutive G.P. patients were given a Swedish version of the 52-item Illness Behaviour Questionnaire (IBQ) to test whether this questionnaire identifies those with signs of somatizing syndromes. The patients were also independently categorized by the G.P. into seven clinical groups reflecting the presence or absence of somatic disease, social/psychological problems and various combinations thereof. The test-retest reliability of the IBQ expressed as Pearson's r was 0.89. Patients presenting with concern over non-existing somatic disease and apparently unaware of any related psychological problem had significantly higher mean IBQ scores than did other patients. The IBQ was thus found to be a satisfactory instrument for primary identification of patients with probable somatizing syndromes.