Introduction to “somatization disorder”

  Talking about “somatization disorder”, we often encounter many patients complaining of discomfort in their daily life. They have been to the hospital repeatedly and have done countless tests, but they can’t find anything wrong, and they become more and more anxious and worried, thinking that they are suffering from an incurable disease. So what is this disease? In fact, this is a somatization disorder. Somatization disorder is a neurological disorder characterized by a persistent fear or belief in the predominance of various somatic symptoms. Patients repeatedly seek medical attention for symptoms. This disorder is found in both men and women and has a chronic fluctuating course. It is often accompanied by depression or anxiety.  Somatization disorder manifests itself in a variety of ways, with a wide variety of complaints without organic lesions. Symptoms can involve any system, often manifesting as gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, inability to tolerate certain foods, diarrhea, constipation, cardiopulmonary often feeling palpitations, chest pain, shortness of breath, etc. Conversion symptoms or pseudoneurological manifestations such as dysphagia, loss of voice, blindness, diplopia, blurred vision, fainting or loss of consciousness, memory loss epileptiform seizures or convulsions, difficulty walking, muscle weakness, urinary retention or difficulty urinating, abnormal skin sensations, etc. They often complain of pain, numbness or tingling in the limbs or joints and discomfort in or around the genitals.  Patients with somatization disorder show extreme dependence in interpersonal relationships, they increasingly seek help and emotional support, and when they are not satisfied, they become furious, and they often behave in a performative and seductive manner.  The severity and duration of the symptoms of somatization disorder patients reflect the patient’s strong desire to be taken care of in all aspects of life, and these symptoms, while helping the patient to escape from responsibilities as an adult, are also a punishment to the patient himself, causing him pain, and it in fact reflects the patient’s deep emotional feelings of worthlessness and guilt, the occurrence and persistence of symptoms and unpleasant life events The onset and persistence of symptoms are closely related to unpleasant life events, but patients often deny the existence of psychological factors.  When the patient’s description of somatic symptoms does not match the clinical and laboratory findings, i.e., the patient has symptoms, but no corresponding positive laboratory indicators can be found, and the duration of the disease lasts for more than 2 years, somatization disorder can be considered.