Pediatric Somatic Symptom Disorders

Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2017 Feb;19(2):11. doi: 10.1007/s11920-017-0760-3.

Abstract

Somatic symptom disorder (SSD) is a common disorder encountered in pediatric medicine. It involves the presentation of physical symptoms that are either disproportionate or inconsistent with history, physical examination, laboratory, and other investigative findings. SSDs result in significant impairment with considerable increase in healthcare utilization, school absenteeism, and the potential for unnecessary diagnostic evaluation and treatment intervention. Patients and families often feel dismissed and may worry that a serious condition has been missed. Primary care providers are frequently frustrated due to a lack of a successful approach to patients and families impacted by SSD. The result is often a cycle of disability, frustration and missed opportunities for collaboration towards enhanced patient functionality. This review summarizes the current evidence-based understanding, as well as insights from clinician experience, on the evaluation and management of pediatric SSD.

Keywords: Conversion; Functional; Medically unexplained symptoms; Pediatric; Somatic symptom disorder; Somatization; Somatoform.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Age Factors
  • Child
  • Combined Modality Therapy
  • Comorbidity
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Education, Nonprofessional
  • Emergency Service, Hospital
  • Expressed Emotion
  • Family Conflict / psychology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Interdisciplinary Communication
  • Intersectoral Collaboration
  • Male
  • Patient Admission
  • Patient Care Team
  • Phobic Disorders / diagnosis
  • Phobic Disorders / psychology
  • Phobic Disorders / therapy
  • Physical Examination
  • Physician-Patient Relations
  • Professional-Family Relations
  • Psychotherapy
  • Risk Factors
  • Somatoform Disorders / diagnosis*
  • Somatoform Disorders / psychology*
  • Somatoform Disorders / therapy