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How disabled are patients with somatoform disorders?
W Hiller1, W Rief, M M Fichter
1Clinic Roseneck, Center for Behavioral Medicine, Prien, Germany.
General Hospital Psychiatry
|January 23, 1998
Summary
Patients with somatoform disorders (SFD) experience significant psychosocial disabilities, comparable to other mental health conditions. Comorbidity with affective disorders, not anxiety disorders, intensifies these impairments.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Psychology
- Clinical Medicine
Background:
- Somatoform disorders (SFD) are characterized by physical symptoms suggesting a medical condition but not fully explained by one.
- Psychosocial disabilities significantly impact the quality of life for individuals with SFD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the level and quality of psychosocial disabilities in patients with somatoform disorders.
- To compare disability levels between SFD subgroups and a control group of patients with other mental disorders.
Main Methods:
- Utilized DSM-IV criteria for diagnosing SFD, pain disorder, and the Somatic Symptom Index (SSI).
- Administered the Dysfunctional Analysis Questionnaire (DAQ) to assess social, vocational, personal, familial, and cognitive disabilities.
- Included 221 patients: 37 SFD, 56 pain disorder, 70 SSI, and 58 controls.
Main Results:
- Substantial psychosocial disabilities were observed across all somatoform subgroups.
- Disability levels in SFD patients were not statistically different from the control group.
- Comorbidity with affective disorders significantly increased impairment severity compared to comorbidity with anxiety disorders.
Conclusions:
- Somatoform disorders are associated with marked psychosocial disabilities, similar to other mental disorders.
- Comorbidity with affective disorders is the strongest predictor of psychosocial dysfunction in SFD.
- SFD patients exhibit significant functional impairments across multiple life domains.