OBJECTIVE To determine if different mental disorders commonly seen in primary care are uniquely associated with distinctive patterns of impairment in the components of health-related quality of life (HRQL) and how this compares with the impairment seen in common medical disorders. DESIGN Survey. SETTING Four primary care clinics. SUBJECTS A total of 1000 adult patients (369 selected by co...

The aims of the study were (1) To analyse the temperament of children and adolescents presenting with Somatoform disorder and Dissociative (conversion) disorder and (2) To evaluate the nosological status of conversion disorder from the angle of temperament. Temperament of 30 children and adolescents having the diagnosis of either Dissociative (Conversion) disorder or Somatoform disorder were co...

BACKGROUND About 10% of the general population report multiple and persisting physical symptoms resulting in extensive screening but with no organic explanation found. OBJECTIVE The authors sought to determine whether these somatoform-disorder patients show characteristics of the affective disorder spectrum, with the cyclothymic temperament likely showing the highest specificity for somatofor...

BACKGROUND The familial relationship between obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and "obsessive-compulsive spectrum" disorders is unclear. This study investigates the relationship of OCD to somatoform disorders (body dysmorphic disorder [BDD] and hypochondriasis), eating disorders (e.g., anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa), pathologic "grooming" conditions (e.g., nail biting, skin picking, tr...

The authors assessed the validity of the recently proposed diagnosis for specific somatoform disorder in the general population. German versions of the DSM-IV adapted Composite International Diagnostic Interview were administered to a representative sample of 4075 individuals. Multivariate analyses were used to compare impairment, life satisfaction, and use of health care. A total of 803 of 407...