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Illness behavior and somatization in general practice

J Scicchitano1, P Lovell, R Pearce

  • 1Department of Psychiatry, University of Adelaide, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Australia.

Journal of Psychosomatic Research
|September 1, 1996
PubMed
Summary
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Somatization, the presentation of psychological issues as physical symptoms, is common in primary care. Early recognition of somatization in males is possible through illness behavior, but not in females.

Area of Science:

  • Psychiatry
  • General Practice
  • Psychosomatic Medicine

Background:

  • Somatization, presenting psychological distress as physical symptoms, complicates early diagnosis in primary care.
  • Understanding illness behavior in somatizing patients is crucial for effective patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare illness behavior between somatizing and nonsomatizing patients with new illnesses.
  • To identify early distinguishing characteristics of somatization in primary care settings.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional survey of 201 patients attending suburban General Practitioners.
  • Utilized the General Health Questionnaire-30 (GHQ-30) and Illness Behavior Questionnaire (IBQ).
  • Compared somatizing and nonsomatizing patients regarding psychiatric illness risk and illness behavior.

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Main Results:

  • Somatizing patients were more likely to be older and female overall.
  • Male somatizers exhibited greater disease conviction, affective disturbance, and acknowledgment of non-health problems compared to male nonsomatizers.
  • No significant differences in illness behavior were found between female somatizing and nonsomatizing patients.

Conclusions:

  • Early identification of somatization in male patients is feasible based on illness behavior.
  • Illness behavior differences between somatizing and nonsomatizing females are not apparent early in the illness presentation.
  • Primary care physicians need to consider gender-specific approaches to diagnosing somatization.