Somatic neurosis in middle-aged Hindu women

Somatization in neurotic disorders was noted as a significant complication in their classification. Besides being an aspect of other neurotic disorders somatization becomes primary and chronic neurotic problem running true to type for several years in some patients. Recent evidence indicated that the syndrome "Somatic Neurosis" occurs not only in Muslim women but in middled-aged women of other communities too. A group of 20 middle-aged women with somatic neurosis were compared with an equal number of age-matched Neurotic Depressive patients. The former had significantly lower scores on Hamilton's Rating Scale for Depression and higher scores on the Intrafamily Interpersonal Trust Scale. The groups, however, did not differ on Srole's Anomia scale scores. It was argued that the good expressed interpersonal trust with specified family members in contrast to the high anomia indexes, a particular dynamic in the family. The study points to the need for further study of this condition.