Somatoform and conversion disorders as psychological defences

Self-protective organization in children with conversion and somatoform disorders.

OBJECTIVE Two centuries of clinical observations have suggested that conversion symptoms are associated with strong emotions or situations that threaten the individual's physical or psychological integrity. This study tested the hypothesis that childhood conversion reactions reflect the motor-sensory components of two distinct emotional responses (one inhibitory, one excitatory) that develop as...

Somatoform disorders.

The somatoform disorders are a group of psychiatric disorders that cause unexplained physical symptoms. They include somatization disorder (involving multisystem physical symptoms), undifferentiated somatoform disorder (fewer symptoms than somatization disorder), conversion disorder (voluntary motor or sensory function symptoms), pain disorder (pain with strong psychological involvement), hypoc...

Dissociative and Somatoform Disorders

Somatoform Disorders

In addition to the Somatoform Disorders, as listed in DSM-IV, such as Somatization Disorder (SD), Conversion Disorder (CD), Hypochondriasis (HD), Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), Pain Disorder, and Undifferentiated Somatoform Disorder (USD), there are a group of disorders called “Functional Somatic Syndromes” (4), such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or Fibromyalgia. Facti...

Pharmacotherapy of somatoform disorders.

OBJECTIVE This paper reviews the published literature on the pharmacologic management of somatoform disorders. METHODS Using Medline, the author identified all articles published between 1970 and 2003 on this topic, selecting the best-designed studies for inclusion. RESULTS The review reveals that patients with the obsessional cluster of somatoform disorders (hypochondriasis and body dysmor...