Psychological factors contributing to somatoform diseases attributed to the workplace. The case of intoxication

Seventy persons who believed they had been injured by inhaling noxious fumes in the workplace and who consequently filed claims for Workers' Compensation benefits were studied. In most cases medical and psychiatric examinations found no organic basis to substantiate the existence of an organic syndrome. The subjects can be divided into two groups. Those in the first group regarded themselves as intact prior to their exposure to toxic fumes at work; while there was clear evidence of exposure to toxins in these cases, there was not evidence to support the subjects' claims of residual injury. Subjects in the second group first experienced symptoms and then became concerned. Subsequently they and some physicians explained the changes as consequences of the inhalation of toxins in the workplace. A small number of these individuals were diagnosed as "chemically hypersensitive." The premorbid personality traits, behaviors, and patterns and functions of disability that were observed are described.