Personal and pathopsychological features of patients with somatoform disorders in primary care

Abstract

Introduction

Somatoform disorders are a therapeutic challenge for primary care physicians. Various studies show low efficacy of psychotherapy for these patients, and the need for differentiated approach to their treatment.

Objective

Explore the differences between pathopsychological, personal characteristics of patients with somatoform disorders.

Methods

It was carried out psychometric evaluation of 108 patients with different clinical variants of somatoform disorders, using SCL-90-r, Leonhard questionnaire.

Results

Patient with somatization disorder (SD) had maximum values on the “somatization”, “depression”, “hostile”, “paranoid” scales; a high level of anxiety. Singularity personality structure of these patients defining feature of exaltation, excitability, emotivity. Patients with undifferentiated somatoform disorder (USD) also showed high levels of somatization, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive, interpersonal sensitivity, phobic anxiety. Patients with stable somatoform pain disorder (SPD), had high levels of depression, obsessive-compulsive. SPD formed in individuals with features of anxiety, seizing, high emotivity. The maximum values for the scales of anxiety (ANX, PHOB) recorded in patients with somatoform dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system (SDANS). Evaluation of coping strategies showed a preferential use of the “avoidance” strategy by patients with SD, USD, a rare use of social support strategies, responsibility. Patients with somatoform pain disorder often resorted to seek social support.

Conclusion

The use of the questionnaire SCL-90-r has identified a number of clinical features of patients with different variants of the SFD. Typologically in all samples of patients revealed moderate accentuation on emotivity trait.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.