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Hennemann S, Böhme K, Kleinstäuber M, Ruckes C, Baumeister H, Daniel Ebert D, Küchler AM, Witthöft M. Is Therapist Support Needed? Comparing Therapist- and Self-Guided Internet-Based CBT for Somatic Symptom Distress (iSOMA) in Emerging Adults. Behav Ther 2022; 53:1205-1218. [PMID: 36229117 DOI: 10.1016/j.beth.2022.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2021] [Revised: 06/01/2022] [Accepted: 06/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Persistent somatic symptoms of varying etiology are very common in emerging adults and can lead to distress and impairment. Internet-delivered interventions could help to prevent the burden and chronicity of persistent somatic symptoms. This study investigated the impact of therapist guidance on the effectiveness of a cognitive-behavioral Internet intervention for somatic symptom distress (iSOMA) in emerging adults, as a secondary analysis of a two-armed randomized controlled trial. We included 149 university students (83.2% female, 24.60 yrs) with varying degrees of somatic symptom distress who were either allocated to the 8-week intervention with regular, written therapeutic guidance (iSOMA guided) or to the control group (waitlist), which was afterwards crossed over to receive iSOMA with guidance-on-demand (iSOMA-GoD). Primary outcomes were somatic symptom distress (assessed by the PHQ-15) and psychobehavioral symptoms of the somatic symptom disorder (assessed by the SSD-12) at pre- and post-treatment. Secondary outcomes included depression, anxiety, and disability. Both treatments showed statistically significant pre-post improvements in primary (iSOMA-guided: d = 0.86-0.92, iSOMA-GoD: d = 0.55-0.63) and secondary outcomes. However, intention-to-treat analysis revealed non-significant between-group effects for all outcomes (ps ≥ .335), after controlling for confounding variables, and effect sizes were marginal (d = -0.06 to 0.12). Overall, our findings indicate that Internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy with regular guidance is not unequivocally superior to guidance-on-demand in alleviating somatic symptom distress and associated psychopathology in emerging adults. As a next step, non-inferiority studies are needed to test the robustness of these findings and their impact on clinical populations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Maria Kleinstäuber
- Utah State University, Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services
| | - Christian Ruckes
- Interdisciplinary Center for Clinical Trials, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
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Sica C, Caudek C, Cerea S, Colpizzi I, Caruso M, Giulini P, Bottesi G. Health Anxiety Predicts the Perceived Dangerousness of COVID-19 over and above Intrusive Illness-Related Thoughts, Contamination Symptoms, and State and Trait Negative Affect. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:1933. [PMID: 33671223 PMCID: PMC7922316 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18041933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2021] [Revised: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 02/12/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
This study sought to evaluate the specificity of health anxiety, relative to other forms of psychopathology, in perceptions of COVID-19 as dangerous. Measures of health anxiety, COVID-19 perceived dangerousness, negative affect, anxiety, depression, stress, contamination-related obsessions and compulsions, and intrusive illness-related thoughts were administered online to 742 community individuals during the Italian national lockdown. Results showed that, after controlling for demographic variables and other internalizing problems, health anxiety was the single most important factor associated with the perceived dangerousness of COVID-19. Moreover, a comparison between the current sample's scores on various symptom measures and scores from prepandemic Italian samples revealed that, whereas other internalizing symptoms increased by a large or very large magnitude during the pandemic, levels of health anxiety and negative affect increased by a medium amount. This result may indicate that health anxiety is relatively trait-like, increasing the likelihood that our correlational data support the model of health anxiety as a vulnerability rather than an outcome. Together, these results indicate that health anxiety may be a specific risk factor for COVID-related maladjustment and support the distinction of health anxiety from other psychological problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudio Sica
- Department of Health Sciences, Psychology Section, University of Firenze, Via San Salvi, 12, 50135 Firenze, Italy; (C.S.); (I.C.); (M.C.); (P.G.)
| | - Corrado Caudek
- Department of Neurosciences, Psychology, Drug Research, and Child Health, University of Firenze, Via San Salvi, 12, 50135 Firenze, Italy;
| | - Silvia Cerea
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Via Venezia, 8, 35131 Padova, Italy;
| | - Ilaria Colpizzi
- Department of Health Sciences, Psychology Section, University of Firenze, Via San Salvi, 12, 50135 Firenze, Italy; (C.S.); (I.C.); (M.C.); (P.G.)
| | - Maria Caruso
- Department of Health Sciences, Psychology Section, University of Firenze, Via San Salvi, 12, 50135 Firenze, Italy; (C.S.); (I.C.); (M.C.); (P.G.)
| | - Paolo Giulini
- Department of Health Sciences, Psychology Section, University of Firenze, Via San Salvi, 12, 50135 Firenze, Italy; (C.S.); (I.C.); (M.C.); (P.G.)
| | - Gioia Bottesi
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Via Venezia, 8, 35131 Padova, Italy;
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Çolak B, Eken A, Kuşman A, Sayar Akaslan D, Kızılpınar SÇ, Çakmak IB, Bal NB, Münir K, Öner Ö, Baskak B. The relationship of cortical activity induced by pain stimulation with clinical and cognitive features of somatic symptom disorder: A controlled functional near infrared spectroscopy study. J Psychosom Res 2021; 140:110300. [PMID: 33248397 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2020.110300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2020] [Revised: 11/09/2020] [Accepted: 11/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The neurobiological correlates of Somatic Symptom Disorder (SSD) introduced in the DSM-5 has been the focus of a limited investigation. We aimed to examine the cortical response to painful stimuli and its relationship to symptom severity as well as cognitive and psychological characteristics in proposed models of somatoform disorders. METHODS We measured hemodynamic responses by 52-channel functional near-infrared spectroscopy. We compared the cortical response to painful stimuli in index patients with SSD (N = 21) versus age, and gender matched healthy control subjects (N = 21). We used brush stimulation as the control condition. We analyzed the relationship of cortical activity with SSD symptom severity as well as somatosensory amplification (SSA), alexithymia, dysfunctional illness behaviour, worry, and neuroticism. RESULTS Patients with SSD had higher somatic symptom severity, SSA, alexithymia, neuroticism, illness-related worry, and behaviour. Somatic symptom severity was predicted by a model including SSA and subjective feeling of pain in the index patients. Activity in the left-angular and right-middle temporal gyri was higher in the SSD subjects than the controls during pain stimulation. Positive correlations were detected between mean pain threshold levels and left middle occipital gyrus activity, as well as between SSA-scores and right-angular gyrus activity during pain condition in the index patients with SSD. CONCLUSION We present the first evidence that representation of pain in terms of cortical activity is different in subjects with SSD than healthy controls. SSA has functional neuroanatomic correlates and predicts symptom severity in SSD and therefore is involved as a valid intermediate phenotype in SSD pathophysiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Burçin Çolak
- Ankara University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Aykut Eken
- Pompeu Fabra University, Center for Brain and Cognition, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Adnan Kuşman
- Ankara University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Damla Sayar Akaslan
- Ankara University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Ankara, Turkey
| | | | - Işık Batuhan Çakmak
- University of Health Sciences, Ankara City Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Neşe Burcu Bal
- University of Health Sciences, Ankara Oncology Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Kerim Münir
- Harvard Medical School, Developmental Medicine Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, USA
| | - Özgür Öner
- Bahçeşehir University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Bora Baskak
- Ankara University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Ankara, Turkey; Ankara University Brain Research Center (AUBAUM), Ankara, Turkey; Neuroscience and Neurotechnology Center of Excellence (NÖROM), Ankara, Turkey.
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Chmielewski F, Hanning S, Swidder-Darku J, Ueberberg B, Juckel G, Mavrogiorgou P. Heldentum gegen Todesangst und Psychopathologie: “Selbstwert” als protektiver Faktor in der ambulanten Psychotherapie. VERHALTENSTHERAPIE 2019. [DOI: 10.1159/000503979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
<b><i>Hintergrund:</i></b> Die Befunde der bisherigen Untersuchungen legen nahe, dass die Angst vor dem Tod ein wichtiger Faktor bei der Entstehung psychischer Erkrankungen ist. Insbesondere die Terror-Management-Theorie geht davon aus, dass Menschen zwei verschiedene Strategien anwenden, um mit Todesangst umzugehen: (1) Sie versuchen, ihren Selbstwert zu steigern; (2) sie halten die Werte ihrer Kultur hoch. <b><i>Patienten und Methoden:</i></b> Im Rahmen einer prospektiven Studie wurden 56 ambulante Psychotherapie-Patienten (29 Frauen, Alter 42,8 Jahre, SD 13,8) vornehmlich mit depressiven Störungen mittels Interview/Fragebögen u.a. zu Angst vor dem Tod (BOFRETTA) sowie Religiosität untersucht. <b><i>Ergebnisse:</i></b> Die Angst vor dem Tod korrelierte signifikant mit der Schwere der psychischen Symptomatik (BDI), Neurotizismus (NEO-FFI) sowie dem Hochhalten kultureller Werte (LeBe). Erwartungsgemäß zeigte sich ein signifikanter negativer Zusammenhang von Selbstwert und Angst vor dem Tod. Dieser zeigte sich nicht bei Vergleichsvariablen wie Lebenssinn, Religiosität und Spiritualität. <b><i>Diskussion und Schlussfolgerungen:</i></b> Die Angst vor dem Tod spielt bei der Entstehung und Aufrechterhaltung psychischer Probleme eine wesentliche Rolle. Ein wichtiger protektiver Faktor gegen diese scheint das Selbstwertgefühl zu sein. Es lässt sich vermuten, dass das Hochhalten kultureller Werte zwar ein unbewusster Versuch ist, gegen die Angst vor dem Tod (und die psychische Symptomatik) vorzugehen, dieser allerdings nicht wirksam ist.
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Suzuki S, Ohira Y, Noda K, Ikusaka M. A-MUPS score to differentiate patients with somatic symptom disorder from those with medical disease for complaints of non-acute pain. J Pain Res 2017; 10:1411-1423. [PMID: 28652807 PMCID: PMC5476605 DOI: 10.2147/jpr.s137482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose To develop a clinical score to discriminate patients with somatic symptom disorder (SSD) from those with medical disease (MD) for complaints of non-acute pain. Methods We retrospectively examined the clinical records of consecutive patients with pain for a duration of ≥1 month in our department from April 2003 to March 2015. We divided the subjects according to the diagnoses of definite SSD (as diagnosed and tracked by psychiatrists in our hospital), probable SSD (without evaluation by psychiatrists in our hospital), matched MD (randomly matched two patients by age, sex, and pain location for each definite SSD patient), unmatched MD, other mental disease, or functional somatic syndrome (FSS). We investigated eight clinical factors for definite SSD and matched MD, and developed a diagnostic score to identify SSD. We subsequently validated the model with cases of probable SSD and unmatched MD. Results The number of patients with definite SSD, probable SSD, matched MD, unmatched MD, other mental disease, and FSS was 104 (3.5%), 214 (7.3%), 197 (6.7%), 742 (25%), 708 (24%), and 978 (33%), respectively. In a conditional logistic regression analysis, the following five factors were included as independent predictors of SSD: Analgesics ineffective, Mental disorder history, Unclear provocative/palliative factors, Persistence without cessation, and Stress feelings/episodes (A-MUPS). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of the model was 0.900 (95% CI: 0.864–0.937, p<0.001), and the McFadden’s pseudo-R-squared was 0.709. For internal validation, the AUC between probable SSD and unmatched MD was 0.930 (95% CI: 0.910–0.950, p<0.001). The prevalence and the likelihood ratio of SSD increased as the score increased. Conclusion The A-MUPS score was useful for discriminating patients with SSD from those with MD for complaints of non-acute pain, although external validation and refinement should be needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shingo Suzuki
- Department of General Medicine, Chiba University Hospital, Chiba, Japan
| | - Yoshiyuki Ohira
- Department of General Medicine, Chiba University Hospital, Chiba, Japan
| | - Kazutaka Noda
- Department of General Medicine, Chiba University Hospital, Chiba, Japan
| | - Masatomi Ikusaka
- Department of General Medicine, Chiba University Hospital, Chiba, Japan
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Rodic D, Meyer AH, Lieb R, Meinlschmidt G. The Association of Sensory Responsiveness with Somatic Symptoms and Illness Anxiety. Int J Behav Med 2016; 23:39-48. [PMID: 25896875 DOI: 10.1007/s12529-015-9483-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Somatoform Disorders or Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders are a major public health problem.The pathophysiology underlying these disorders is not yet understood. PURPOSE The aim of this study was to explore if sensory responsiveness could contribute to a better understanding of pathophysiological mechanisms underlying two key symptoms of Somatoform Disorders, namely somatic symptoms and illness anxiety. METHODS We measured vibrotactile perception thresholds with the HVLab Perception Meter and examined their association with somatic symptoms, illness anxiety and trait anxiety. A sample of 205 volunteers participated in the study. RESULTS Sensory responsiveness was neither associated with somatic symptoms (β = -0.01; 95% confidence interval (CI), -0.37, 0.39) nor trait anxiety (β = -0.07; 95% CI, -0.30, 0.07). However, lower vibrotactile perception thresholds were associated with increased scores of the overall illness anxiety scale (β = -0.65; 95% CI, -1.21, -0.14) and its constituent subscale disease conviction (β = -2.07; 95% CI, -3.94, -0.43). CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that increased sensory responsiveness is associated with illness anxiety and hence should be examined further as potential target within the etiopathology of somatoform disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donja Rodic
- Department of Psychology, Division of Clinical Psychology and Epidemiology, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Andrea Hans Meyer
- Department of Psychology, Division of Clinical Psychology and Epidemiology, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Roselind Lieb
- Department of Psychology, Division of Clinical Psychology and Epidemiology, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Gunther Meinlschmidt
- Department of Psychology, Division of Clinical Psychology and Epidemiology, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland. .,Faculty of Medicine, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany. .,Department of Psychology, University of Basel, Missionsstrasse 60/62, 4055, Basel, Switzerland.
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Abstract
This is a retrospective study of concussion patient data conducted to analyze the prevalence of somatization in patients presenting with post-concussion symptoms. Patient records from June 2010 to December 2015 were examined for concussion history, psychosocial history, neuropsychological test results, validity scores, and a symptom severity scale. Records meeting inclusion criteria from 33 males and 27 females were located. The sample had an age range of 11–78 years with a mean age of 33.40 (SD +/- 7.5 years). A clinically significant number of patients (55%) were found to be somaticizing their symptoms and a significant majority (78%) of somaticizing patients reported no loss of consciousness, retrograde amnesia, or post-traumatic amnesia but their symptom validity scales were significantly exaggerated. Caution should be exercised by clinicians to ensure that the obtained results of neuropsychological testing are reliable and valid. It is very important for the clinician to take into account the entire patient history, including psychosocial factors (such as pre-existing psychological traits or conditions) and social influences (such as stressors in family dynamics or work/school activities that may be affecting the patient's complaints).
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Lau K, Löwe B, Langs G, Voigt K. Aus vier mach zwei. PSYCHOTHERAPEUT 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/s00278-013-1019-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Jasper F, Nater UM, Hiller W, Ehlert U, Fischer S, Witthöft M. Rasch scalability of the somatosensory amplification scale: a mixture distribution approach. J Psychosom Res 2013; 74:469-78. [PMID: 23731743 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2013.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2012] [Revised: 01/23/2013] [Accepted: 02/12/2013] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Somatosensory amplification refers to a person's tendency to experience somatic sensations as inappropriately intense and involves hypervigilance concerning bodily sensations. We applied the Somatosensory Amplification Scale (SSAS) in an Internet sample of young adults (N=3031) to test whether the SSAS is Rasch scalable. METHODS We applied mixture distribution extensions of the partial credit and rating scale models to identify possible subgroups that use the response set of the SSAS in different ways. RESULTS A partial credit model, with two latent classes, showed a superior fit to all other models. Still, one of the SSAS items had to be removed because it showed severe underfit. Overall fit of the remaining items was acceptable, although the differentiation between at least two of the five item categories was questionable in both classes. Class 1 was characterized by a higher SSAS sum score, female gender, more somatic complaints, more anxiety, more psychosocial stress, and slightly higher depressiveness. Further exploratory analyses showed that the three mid categories of the SSAS can be collapsed without a large loss of information. CONCLUSIONS Our results show that a shortened version of the SSAS is Rasch scalable but also reveal that there is a lot of room for further improvements of the scale. Based on our results, Item 1 should be removed from the scale and a reduction of the number of response categories is probably warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabian Jasper
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Johannes Gutenberg University, Germany.
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Abstract
The Diagnostic Criteria for Psychosomatic Research (DCPR) were introduced in 1995 by an international group of investigators to expand the traditional domains of the disease model. The DCPR are a set of 12 'psychosomatic syndromes' which provide operational tools for psychosocial variables with prognostic and therapeutic implications in clinical settings. Eight syndromes concern the main manifestations of abnormal illness behaviour: somatization, hypochondriacal fears and beliefs, and illness denial. The other four syndromes (alexithymia, type A behaviour, demoralization and irritable mood) refer to the domain of psychological factors affecting medical conditions. This review describes the conceptual bases of the DCPR and the main findings concerning their application, with particular reference to the incremental information they added to the customary psychiatric classification. The DCPR were also compared with the provisional DSM-5 somatic symptom disorders. The DCPR were found to be more sensitive than DSM-IV in identifying subthreshold psychological distress and characterizing patients' psychological response to medical illness. DSM-5 somatic symptom disorders seem to neglect important clinical phenomena, such as illness denial, resulting in a narrow view of patients' functioning. The additional information provided by the DCPR may enhance the decision-making process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Sirri
- Laboratory of Psychosomatics and Clinimetrics, Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
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Abbate-Daga G, Delsedime N, Nicotra B, Giovannone C, Marzola E, Amianto F, Fassino S. Psychosomatic syndromes and anorexia nervosa. BMC Psychiatry 2013; 13:14. [PMID: 23302180 PMCID: PMC3556145 DOI: 10.1186/1471-244x-13-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2012] [Accepted: 01/03/2013] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In spite of the role of some psychosomatic factors as alexithymia, mood intolerance, and somatization in both pathogenesis and maintenance of anorexia nervosa (AN), few studies have investigated the prevalence of psychosomatic syndromes in AN. The aim of this study was to use the Diagnostic Criteria for Psychosomatic Research (DCPR) to assess psychosomatic syndromes in AN and to evaluate if psychosomatic syndromes could identify subgroups of AN patients. METHODS 108 AN inpatients (76 AN restricting subtype, AN-R, and 32 AN binge-purging subtype, AN-BP) were consecutively recruited and psychosomatic syndromes were diagnosed with the Structured Interview for DCPR. Participants were asked to complete psychometric tests: Body Shape Questionnaire, Beck Depression Inventory, Eating Disorder Inventory-2, and Temperament and Character Inventory. Data were submitted to cluster analysis. RESULTS Illness denial (63%) and alexithymia (54.6%) resulted to be the most common syndromes in our sample. Cluster analysis identified three groups: moderate psychosomatic group (49%), somatization group (26%), and severe psychosomatic group (25%). The first group was mainly represented by AN-R patients reporting often only illness denial and alexithymia as DCPR syndromes. The second group showed more severe eating and depressive symptomatology and frequently DCPR syndromes of the somatization cluster. Thanatophobia DCPR syndrome was also represented in this group. The third group reported longer duration of illness and DCPR syndromes were highly represented; in particular, all patients were found to show the alexithymia DCPR syndrome. CONCLUSIONS These results highlight the need of a deep assessment of psychosomatic syndromes in AN. Psychosomatic syndromes correlated differently with both severity of eating symptomatology and duration of illness: therefore, DCPR could be effective to achieve tailored treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Abbate-Daga
- Department of Neuroscience, Section of Psychiatry, Eating Disorders Centre, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
| | - Nadia Delsedime
- Department of Neuroscience, Section of Psychiatry, Eating Disorders Centre, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Barbara Nicotra
- Department of Neuroscience, Section of Psychiatry, Eating Disorders Centre, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Cristina Giovannone
- Department of Neuroscience, Section of Psychiatry, Eating Disorders Centre, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Enrica Marzola
- Department of Neuroscience, Section of Psychiatry, Eating Disorders Centre, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Federico Amianto
- Department of Neuroscience, Section of Psychiatry, Eating Disorders Centre, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Secondo Fassino
- Department of Neuroscience, Section of Psychiatry, Eating Disorders Centre, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
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Abstract
The somatoform disorders, as currently defined in DSM-IV and ICD-10, have been criticized for their complexity and poor clinical utility. In this paper we consider these criticisms as well as the conceptual question of whether there is sufficient evidence for classifying them as mental and behavioural disorders. The review suggests that, as currently defined, somatoform disorders do not fulfil a recently articulated set of criteria for mental and behavioural disorders. In particular, the disorders are not defined according to positive psychological and behavioural disorders and evidence is sparse to support their classification as different and distinct diagnoses. Any revision of the disorders should not be based on 'medically unexplained' symptoms. Rather, the relevant diagnoses should include a combination of bothersome somatic symptoms with several other psychological features including beliefs about somatic symptoms and evidence of marked concerns about health and illness. Finally, the review presents a set of proposals for the revision of these disorders, by the Somatic Disorders and Dissociative Disorders Working Group of the WHO International Advisory Group for the Revision of ICD-10 Mental and Behavioural Disorders, which attempt to take account of the criticisms and current understanding of somatic experiences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francis Creed
- School of Community-based Medicine, University of Manchester, UK
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Hypochondriasis, somatoform disorders, and anxiety disorders: sociodemographic variables, general psychopathology, and naturalistic treatment effects. J Nerv Ment Dis 2012; 200:406-12. [PMID: 22551794 DOI: 10.1097/nmd.0b013e31825322e5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The question of whether hypochondriasis (HYP) should be considered a somatoform disorder (SFD) or classified as an anxiety disorder (ANX) has recently been raised. To empirically provide information on this issue, we compared patients with HYP (n = 65) with those with other SFDs (n = 94) and those with ANX (n = 224) regarding sociodemographic and biographical variables, general psychopathology, and naturalistic cognitive-behavioral therapy treatment effects. Compared with SFD, patients with HYP were younger and had fewer comorbid affective disorders and less impaired life domains, suggesting a closer connection between HYP and ANX. Regarding cognitive-behavioral therapy treatment effects, all diagnostic groups showed comparable significant improvement (d = 0.44-0.64). According to level of anxiety, the SFD sample had significantly lower pretreatment scores than did the ANX and the HYP samples. The results suggest that patients with HYP have an interim position between SFD and ANX, with slightly closer connections to ANX.
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Parental-Reported Health Anxiety Symptoms in 5- to 7-Year-Old Children: The Copenhagen Child Cohort CCC 2000. PSYCHOSOMATICS 2012; 53:58-67. [DOI: 10.1016/j.psym.2011.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2011] [Revised: 05/27/2011] [Accepted: 05/31/2011] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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Armfield JM, Pohjola V, Joukamaa M, Mattila AK, Suominen AL, Lahti SM. Exploring the associations between somatization and dental fear and dental visiting. Eur J Oral Sci 2011; 119:288-93. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0722.2011.00839.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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Voigt K, Nagel A, Meyer B, Langs G, Braukhaus C, Löwe B. Towards positive diagnostic criteria: a systematic review of somatoform disorder diagnoses and suggestions for future classification. J Psychosom Res 2010; 68:403-14. [PMID: 20403499 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2010.01.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2009] [Revised: 01/12/2010] [Accepted: 01/14/2010] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The classification of somatoform disorders is currently being revised in order to improve its validity for the DSM-V and ICD-11. In this article, we compare the validity and clinical utility of current and several new diagnostic proposals of those somatoform disorders that focus on medically unexplained somatic symptoms. METHODS We searched the Medline, PsycInfo, and Cochrane databases, as well as relevant reference lists. We included review papers and original articles on the subject of somatoform classification in general, subtypes of validity of the diagnoses, or single diagnostic criteria. RESULTS Of all diagnostic proposals, only complex somatic symptom disorder and the Conceptual Issues in Somatoform and Similar Disorders (CISSD) example criteria reflect all dimensions of current biopsychosocial models of somatization (construct validity) and go beyond somatic symptom counts by including psychological and behavioral symptoms that are specific to somatization (descriptive validity). Predictive validity of most of the diagnostic proposals has not yet been investigated. However, the number of somatic symptoms has been found to be a strong predictor of disability. Some evidence indicates that psychological symptoms can predict disease course and treatment outcome (e.g., therapeutic modification of catastrophizing is associated with positive outcome). Lengthy symptom lists, the requirement of lifetime symptom report (as in abridged somatization), complicated symptom patterns (as in current somatization disorder), and imprecise definitions of diagnostic procedures (e.g., missing symptom threshold in complex somatic symptom disorder) reduce clinical utility. CONCLUSION Results from the reviewed studies suggest that, of all current and new diagnostic suggestions, complex somatic symptom disorder and the CISSD definition appear to have advantages regarding validity and clinical utility. The integration of psychological and behavioral criteria could enhance construct and descriptive validity, and confers prospectively relevant treatment implications. The incorporation of a dimensional approach that reflects both somatic and psychological symptom severity also has the potential to improve predictive validity and clinical utility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Voigt
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf and Schön Klinik Hamburg-Eilbek, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
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17
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Witthöft M, Hiller W. Psychological Approaches to Origins and Treatments of Somatoform Disorders. Annu Rev Clin Psychol 2010; 6:257-83. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev.clinpsy.121208.131505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Michael Witthöft
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Johannes Gutenberg-University, D55122 Mainz, Germany;
| | - Wolfgang Hiller
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Johannes Gutenberg-University, D55122 Mainz, Germany;
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Abstract
Illness anxiety, also known in its more severe form as hypochondriasis, is a debilitating and chronic condition in which normal bodily symptoms are misinterpreted as signs of serious medical illness. Patients suffer with the fear that they are ill despite reassurance to the contrary and often overuse medical services in the process. This article critically evaluates the recent literature on illness anxiety and related, medically unexplained symptoms, highlighting new and interesting findings in the areas of prevalence, classification/diagnosis, management, and evidence-based treatment and new frontiers in understanding illness anxiety, such as brain imaging, neuroimmunology, and cyberchondria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelli J Harding
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, 1051 Riverside Drive, Unit 69, New York, NY 10032, USA.
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20
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Noyes R, Stuart SP, Watson DB. A Reconceptualization of the Somatoform Disorders. PSYCHOSOMATICS 2008; 49:14-22. [DOI: 10.1176/appi.psy.49.1.14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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21
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Sirri L, Fabbri S, Fava GA, Sonino N. New Strategies in the Assessment of Psychological Factors Affecting Medical Conditions. J Pers Assess 2007; 89:216-28. [PMID: 18001223 DOI: 10.1080/00223890701629649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Laura Sirri
- a Department of Psychology , University of Bologna , Bologna , Italy
| | - Stefania Fabbri
- a Department of Psychology , University of Bologna , Bologna , Italy
| | - Giovanni A. Fava
- a Department of Psychology , University of Bologna , Bologna , Italy
| | - Nicoletta Sonino
- b Department of Psychiatry , State University of New York at Buffalo
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22
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Braddock M. 14th Annual Meeting of the Psychoneuroimmunology Research Society. Expert Opin Investig Drugs 2007; 16:1725-34. [DOI: 10.1517/13543784.16.10.1725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
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23
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Grassi L, Mangelli L, Fava GA, Grandi S, Ottolini F, Porcelli P, Rafanelli C, Rigatelli M, Sonino N. Psychosomatic characterization of adjustment disorders in the medical setting: some suggestions for DSM-V. J Affect Disord 2007; 101:251-4. [PMID: 17196662 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2006.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2006] [Revised: 11/10/2006] [Accepted: 11/13/2006] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adjustment disorders have been found to be the most frequent psychiatric diagnosis in the medically ill. Problems have been raised, however, as to their clinical value. The aim of the study was to characterize the psychosomatic features of adjustment disorders. METHODS One hundred patients with medical illness and a diagnosis of adjustment disorder according to DSM-IV criteria were interviewed according to the Diagnostic Criteria for Psychosomatic Research (DCPR) system, consisting of 12 clusters. RESULTS A considerable overlap was shown between adjustment disorders and DCPR clusters related to abnormal illness behavior (health anxiety, tanatophobia, nosophobia and illness denial) (54%), somatization (functional somatic symptoms secondary to a psychiatric disorder, persistent somatization, conversion symptoms and anniversary reaction) (37%) and demoralization (33%). Only 13 of the patients with adjustment disorders did not present any DCPR syndromes. LIMITATIONS The study is cross-sectional and does not allow to determine the prognostic features of DCPR categorization. CONCLUSION The clinical information which derives from the concomitant application of the DCPR might improve and make more specific the treatment of patients with adjustment disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luigi Grassi
- Department of Medical Sciences of Communication and Behavior, Section of Psychiatry, University of Ferrara, Italy
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Fava GA, Fabbri S, Sirri L, Wise TN. Psychological Factors Affecting Medical Condition: A New Proposal for DSM-V. PSYCHOSOMATICS 2007; 48:103-11. [PMID: 17329602 DOI: 10.1176/appi.psy.48.2.103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The DSM category of "psychological factors affecting medical condition" had virtually no impact on clinical practice. However, several clinically relevant psychosomatic syndromes have been described in the literature: disease phobia, persistent somatization, conversion symptoms, illness denial, demoralization, and irritable mood. These syndromes, in addition to the DSM definition of hypochondriasis, can yield clinical specification in the category of "psychological factors affecting medical condition" and eliminate the need for the highly criticized DSM classification of somatoform disorders. This new classification is supported by a growing body of research evidence and is in line with psychosomatic medicine as a recognized subspecialty.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni A Fava
- Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Viale Berti Pichat 5, 40127 Bologna, Italy.
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