Somatoform and factitious disorders

Abstract

Gender seems to be a core issue in the diagnosis and treatment of somatomorphic disorders. It is well known that the categorization of these disorders has caused some controversy. On the one hand, this controversy shows the limitation of the mind–body dual model that underlies Western medical thinking, in some way overlooking that pain and corporal awareness are not divided from the subjective experience of the self. This group of mental disorders has suffered several modifications, as shown in the different editions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Diseases (DSM), although its validity and gender neutrality is still inconclusive. First in this chapter, we analyze gender perspective related to somatization and in particular the somatoform disorder classification. Second, we describe somatoform disorders as in the classic terminology, considering the new definition proposed in the latest edition of the DSM. Nevertheless, it is not clear whether these new diagnostic criteria for somatoform disorders have reached gender neutrality.