Somatization, heartsink patients, or functional somatic symptoms? Towards a clinical useful classification in primary health care

42Citations
Citations of this article
54Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.

This article is free to access.

Abstract

Several definitions of somatization exist and try to deal with the fundamental problem that a large group of patients present with physical symptoms for which a conventional pathology cannot be identified. However, the concept remains somewhat confusing. The prevalence of somatization is high in general practice. Nevertheless, patients do not receive proper treatment and risk iatrogenic somatic fixation and harm, the doctor-patient relationship is often negatively affected and the overall healthcare system suffers from high expenditure on unnecessary physical investigations and treatments. During the last decade research has shown that somatization may be treated effectively in specialist care. Little is known about effective treatment in primary care but the Reattribution Model and the Extended Reattribution and Management Model have shown promising results. The development and evaluation of new treatment strategies is, however, hampered by the confusion of definitions and concepts. In this article an overview is presented of the various concepts relevant to the clinical work and research in primary health care. It is important to realize that somatizing patients in primary health care present a broader spectrum of severity than patients seen in a specialist setting. Hence, primary care cannot apply definitions from specialist care directly but needs a definition that also includes the mild cases. We need classifications and agreed definitions applicable in primary health care in order to develop appropriate management strategies, to predict prognosis, and to enable rigorous research concerning the large group of somatizing patients in primary health care. © 2005 Taylor & Francis.

References Powered by Scopus

The need for a new medical model: A challenge for biomedicine

8401Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

The PHQ-15: Validity of a new measure for evaluating the severity of somatic symptoms

2503Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Functional somatic syndromes: One or many?

1012Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Cited by Powered by Scopus

Depression, anxiety, and somatoform disorders: Vague or distinct categories in primary care? Results from a large cross-sectional study

203Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Reattribution reconsidered: Narrative review and reflections on an educational intervention for medically unexplained symptoms in primary care settings

83Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Expertise in Transition: Expansive Learning in Medical Work

78Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Rosendal, M., Fink, P., Bro, F., & Olesen, F. (2005, March). Somatization, heartsink patients, or functional somatic symptoms? Towards a clinical useful classification in primary health care. Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care. https://doi.org/10.1080/02813430510015304

Readers' Seniority

Tooltip

PhD / Post grad / Masters / Doc 20

63%

Researcher 8

25%

Professor / Associate Prof. 3

9%

Lecturer / Post doc 1

3%

Readers' Discipline

Tooltip

Medicine and Dentistry 16

41%

Psychology 13

33%

Social Sciences 9

23%

Business, Management and Accounting 1

3%

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free