Understanding the Course of Somatization Disorder and Undifferentiated Somatoform Disorder

Understanding the Course of Somatization Disorder and Undifferentiated Somatoform Disorder and Assessing Patients' Symptoms

Understanding the course of somatization disorder and undifferentiated somatoform disorder and carefully assessing patients who present with symptoms of these disorders are both critical to their appropriate treatment.

Course of Somatization Disorder Somatization disorder is a chronic relapsing condition with an unknown etiology. The disorder has no known cure. It usually begins in middle to late adolescence but may start as late as the 30s. Patients also often develop new symptoms during times of emotional distress. No research data are available concerning how long an episode of illness lasts; however, clinical experience indicates that a typical episode lasts 6-9 months. Remission periods may last 9-12 months. However, patients with somatization disorder likely will not continue for a year without developing a new symptom or seeking some type of health care. For example, authors of the ECA study found that 95% of the patients with somatization disorder had visited a health care provider in the previous 6 months, compared with only 56% of other community residents.