SOMATIC SYNDROME DISORDERS

Course overview

ACCORDING TO THE FIFTH EDITION OF THE DIAGNOSTIC AND STATISTICAL MANUAL OF MENTAL DISORDERS (DSM-V), SOMATIC SYMPTOM DISORDER (SSD) INVOLVES ONE OR MORE PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS ACCOMPANIED BY AN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF TIME, ENERGY, EMOTION, AND/OR BEHAVIOR RELATED TO THE SYMPTOM THAT RESULTS IN SIGNIFICANT DISTRESS AND/OR DYSFUNCTION. PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS MAY OR MAY OR MAY NOT BE EXPLAINED BY A MEDICAL CONDITION. IN PREVIOUS EDITIONS OF THE DIAGNOSTIC AND STATISTICAL MANUAL OF MENTAL DISORDERS, THE DIAGNOSIS OF SOMATIC SYMPTOM DISORDER COULD NOT BE MADE UNLESS SOMATIC SYMPTOMS WERE NOT ABLE TO BE EXPLAINED CLINICALLY. ADDITIONALLY, PREVIOUS EDITIONS DID NOT INCLUDE THE REQUIREMENT THAT CERTAIN PSYCHOBEHAVIORAL FEATURES BE PRESENT FOR THE DIAGNOSIS OF SOMATIC SYMPTOM DISORDER TO BE MADE. THE DSM-5 ALSO REMOVED SOMATIZATION DISORDER, UNDIFFERENTIATED SOMATOFORM DISORDER, HYPOCHONDRIASIS, AND PAIN DISORDER. MANY PATIENTS THAT HISTORICALLY MET THE CRITERIA FOR ONE OF THOSE CONDITIONS NOW MEET CRITERIA FOR SSD, BASED ON THESE REVISIONS. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE PRESENTATION, EVALUATION, AND MANAGEMENT OF SSD AND STRESSES THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM APPROACH TO THE CARE OF AFFECTED PATIENTS.