Somatic Symptom Disorder involves one or more chronic physical symptoms (e.g., pain, fatigue) that cause excessive thoughts, feelings, or behaviors related to the symptoms. The distress is real, even if medical evaluations can’t fully explain it.
Key Points:
- Key Feature: High levels of health-related anxiety and disproportionate concern over physical sensations.
- Differentiation from Hypochondriasis (Illness Anxiety Disorder): In Somatic Symptom Disorder, there are actual physical complaints causing distress, whereas Illness Anxiety Disorder centers more on fear of having a serious illness without significant physical symptoms.
- Treatment: Psychotherapy (especially CBT), stress management, and sometimes medications for co-occurring anxiety or depression.
- Prognosis: Improving stress coping skills, establishing a strong therapeutic relationship, and coordinating care across medical and mental health can help reduce symptom severity.
