References: Somatoform; Volume 3 Issue 5

1.AUTHOR	Hardy-P.
INSTITUTION	Service de Psychiatrie Adultes, CHU de Bicetre, Le Kremlin.
TITLE	(Epidemiology of somatoform disorders in the general French population). TT Epidemiologie des troubles somatoformes dans la population generale franccaise.
SOURCE	Encephale 1995 May-Jun, VOL: 21 (3), P: 191-9, ISSN: 0013-7006.
ABSTRACT	A telephone survey based on 504 interviews, representative of the French population over 18, allowed to gauge the annual prevalence and identify the characteristics of somatoform disorders. This study was based on the inventory of 19 symptoms divided into 5 categories: gastrointestinal, pain, dermatological, cardiorespiratory and gynaecologic/urinary. "Medical somatoform disorders" (MSD) were defined as the repeated occurring, during the previous year, of not less than 1 symptom with an evolution duration equal or superior to 6 months, and causing personal and familial or professional problems. Such disorders had, in addition, to motivate one or more medical consultations concluding to the lack of somatic disease. These criteria included those proposed in DSM IV for the diagnosis of "Undifferentiated Somatoform Disorder", except for the exclusion criteria (E) which was not included in this study. Three out of four subjects (76% of the population) declared to endure not less than 1 somatic symptom in the course of the previous year. Near 1 out of 5 subjects (19%) had one MSD. MSD were more frequent among females than among males (sex-ratio F/M = 1.82). This data traces 3 types of phenomena: the somatic disorders prevalence and the consultation ratio in case of somatic disorders were higher among females than males; conversely, MSD ratio among somatic disorders consultants is higher among males than females. MSD prevalence does not vary with age, except for an underrepresentation among patients aged over 65 (13%).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) Author.

2.AUTHOR	Faravelli-C, Salvatori-S, Galassi-F, Aiazzi-L, Drei-C, Cabras-P.
INSTITUTION	Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Florence University Medical School, Italy.
TITLE	Epidemiology of somatoform disorders: a community survey in Florence.
SOURCE	Soc-Psychiatry-Psychiatr-Epidemiol 1997 Jan, VOL: 32 (1), P: 24-9, ISSN: 0933-7954.
ABSTRACT	Since the exclusion of somatic causes is necessary for somatoform disorders (SMD)to be diagnosed, there is little information on the prevalence of such disorders in the community. As the method we have previously developed (general practitioners (GPs) with psychiatric training who interview samples representative of the general population) seemed to be appropriate to deal with the problem, we carried out a community survey focused on somatoform disorders. The prevalence rates of DSM-III-R somatoform disorders were studied in two wards of the city of Florence. In order to be representative of the general population, 673 subjects randomly selected were interviewed by their own GP. Four GPs, all with specific training in psychiatry, participated in the interviewing process. The 1-year prevalence figures were as follows: 0.7% body dysmorphic disorder; 4.5% hypochondriasis; 0.6% somatoform pain disorder; 0.3% conversion disorder; 0.7% somatization disorder; 13.8% undifferentiated somatoform disorder. No specific comorbidity was found between somatoform disorders and mood or anxiety disorders. Although the sample investigated was small, this study may be seen as one of the first in an area where knowledge is still scant. The prevalence rates of somatoform disorders were generally found to be slightly lower than expected. Author.

3.AUTHOR	Ekselius-L, Eriksson-M, von-Knorring-L, Linder-J.
INSTITUTION	Department of Psychiatry, Uppsala University Hospital, Sweden.
TITLE	Comorbidity of personality disorders and major depression in patients with somatoform pain disorders or medical illnesses with long- standing work disability.
SOURCE	Scand-J-Rehabil-Med 1997 Jun, VOL: 29 (2), P: 91-6, ISSN: 0036-5505.
ABSTRACT	The comorbidity between major depression and personality disorders in patients with long-standing work disability at a rehabilitation clinic was investigated. Sixty patients with a somatoform pain disorder and 66 patients with different medical illnesses were assessed by means of a self rating scale for major depression, and the SCID screen personality disorder questionnaire. In the total series, 27% of the patients had a diagnosis of major depression and 34.9% had at least one personality disorder. Personality disorders were significantly more common in patients with medical illness than in patients with a somatoform pain disorder. There was a high frequency of comorbidity between major depression and personality disorders, especially borderline and avoidant personality disorders. If this is due to a common pathogenetic mechanism, it could explain why SSRIs are effective in both depression and some personality disorders. Author.