اضطراب العرض الجسدي

What is somatic symptom disorder (SSD)?

Somatic symptom disorder, which was previously known as somatization disorder or somatoform disorder, is a mental illness that has an extreme focus on physical symptoms, such as pain or fatigue that causes the individual severe emotion distress and anxiety. This causes disruption to their daily life, affecting their overall ability to function. The physical symptoms causing the individual distress are real – they are not being faked or made up – however, there may not be a medical reason for their physical symptoms. However, a diagnosis of SSD is not given on this basis (i.e. if a medical cause cannot be found for their pain or fatigue), but is made based on the extent to which their symptoms affect their emotions, behaviours and thoughts.

What are the symptoms of somatic symptom disorder?

Common symptoms of somatic symptom disorder can include:

Alongside the above physical symptoms, SSD also includes excessive and disabling thoughts, behaviours and feelings. These may display as the following:

What causes somatic symptom disorder?

The exact cause of somatic symptoms disorder is not known, however, the roles of the following factors play a role:

Can somatic symptom disorder be prevented?

Not much is currently known about preventing somatic symptoms disorder, however, the following steps are recommended:

What is the treatment for somatic symptom disorder?

Treatment for somatic symptom disorder uses a combination of psychotherapy, such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and medications. Medications can help to reduce any symptoms of depression or pain.

CBT can help patients to: