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A Management Model for Pediatric Somatization

Received February 15, 2001; revised June 14, 2001; accepted June 18, 2001. From University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, Pittsburgh, PA, and Brown Medical School and Hasbro Children's Hospital, Providence, RI. Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Campo, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, 3811 O'Hara Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15213. E-mail: campojv{at}msx.upmc.edu

Medically unexplained physical symptoms are common in pediatric settings, though little systematic research is available to guide the development of treatment efforts for pediatric somatization and somatoform disorders. This paper presents a management model for pediatric somatization based on principles distilled from the available pediatric and adult literature. Careful assessment, frank presentation of the diagnosis, and a cognitive-behavioral and rehabilitative approach are emphasized, along with aggressive psychiatric treatment of comorbid psychopathology. Well-designed empirical studies of intervention are needed that should examine efficacy as well as the relationship between symptomatic improvement, functional improvement, and comorbid anxiety and depressive symptoms.

Key Words: Other Childhood Disorders • Somatoform Disorders • Somatic Therapies

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				T. J. Silber and M. Pao Somatization Disorders in Children and Adolescents Pediatr. Rev., August 1, 2003; 24(8): 255 - 264. [Full Text] [PDF]

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