SOMATOFORM

The common feature of Somatoform Disorders is that psychological factors are considered important in the onset, severity, exacerbation, or maintenance of physical symptoms (Medical Litigation News Volume 2, Issue 2).

How common? In recent French[1] and Italian[2] community-based surveys the overall prevalence was remarkably similar at 20%, symptoms occurring less frequently in men, more frequently in women.

PRACTICE POINT Somatoform Disorder, though frequently underplayed in Personal Injury litigation, is often the key to Plaintiff success

Swedish researchers studied[3] rehabilitation patients with either Somatoform Disorder or medical illness causing long-term work disability. A quarter also fulfilled the criteria for Major Depression and a third had at least one Personality Disorder.

Personal Injury litigation frequently becomes mired in arguments between opposing medical expert witnesses about diagnosis and causation of post-traumatic symptoms lacking objective validation. The experts in this area are not orthopedic surgeons, rheumatologist and physiatrists, but rather psychiatrists and forensic psychologists.

PRACTICE POINT In the frequent mismatch between Personal Injury Symptoms and no objective findings, look to psychiatrist and forensic psychologists to establish Causation

These specialists now have more accurate tools to help the court distinguish between the common condition of Somatoform Disorder on the one hand and relatively uncommon Malingering on the other (Medical Litigation News Volume 2, Issue 9).

Rarely, personal injury litigation itself may be considered a form of somatisation[4].