Somatoform Disorder: An Illness Without a Cause

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=160 BGCOLOR="#333333" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="03cdedc2ddualp.png"> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dr. Wade Silverman, Ph.D"><U><B>Dr. Wade Silverman, Ph.D</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id8.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Us"><U><B>Contact Us</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id147.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="FAQs"><U><B>FAQs</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id16.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About Dr. Silverman"><U><B>About Dr. Silverman</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id146.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Great links"><U><B>Great links</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Mind Reader© archive"><U><B>The Mind Reader© archive</B></U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" background="03d64643.png"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#666633" FACE="Times New Roman" ><B>Dr. Wade Silverman, Ph.D</B></FONT>    |     <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000BF" FACE="Times New Roman" ><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dr. Wade Silverman, Ph.D"><U>home</U></A></FONT></div> <div>                                                   </div> <div> Somatoform Disorder: An Illness Without a Cause</div> <bR> <div>     Many of you have experienced a client who complains about being ill but </div> <div> without objective medical evidence to prove anything is wrong. He or she may </div> <div> be suing a physician for malpractice or a company for its illness inducing </div> <div> product. You have your client examined by a physician you trust. The doctor </div> <div> finds no evidence to support your client's claim. A second opinion also </div> <div> yields no signs of pathology. Is this client malingering or even worse </div> <div> fabricating? Not necessarily, he or she may have a Somatoform Disorder. This </div> <div> is an emotional disorder that manifests itself with physical symptoms. The </div> <div> usual onset of this disorder is before the age of 30 and remains as a chronic </div> <div> condition. Complaints include at least two gastrointestinal symptoms, four </div> <div> pain symptoms, one sexual symptom, and one pseudoneurological symptom such as </div> <div> difficulty swallowing or fainting. </div> <div>     Generally these individuals have a thick medical file with extensive </div> <div> batteries of tests done repeatedly. Findings are inconclusive at best with </div> <div> medical opinions that there are either no medical causes for the patient's </div> <div> cluster of symptoms or that his or her complaints are greatly excessive for a </div> <div> specific identified medical condition. While the medical community often </div> <div> refer to these individuals as "crocks" or fakers, these individuals behave </div> <div> and experience these symptoms as real. </div> <div>    There are a variety of explanations for psychological causative factors </div> <div> including anxiety, insecurity, fear of normal functioning, etc. These </div> <div> individuals also tend to be unhappy, lonely people who enjoy the attention </div> <div> that medical interventions bring to them. Psychotherapy with patients is </div> <div> often difficult because they lack insight into their disorder and invalidism </div> <div> has become a way of life to them. If you believe one of your clients suffers </div> <div> from Somatoform Disorder, a referral to a psychologist may be necessary.</div> </td> </tr></table></body>