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Somatoform Disorder in Primary Care: Course and the Need for Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment

Received June 28, 2005; revised December 23, 2005; accepted January 13, 2006. From the Dept. of General Practice and Nursing Home Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands, and Parnassia Psychomedical Centre, The Hague, the Netherlands (AMvH). Send correspondence and reprint requests to Ingrid A Arnold, M.D., Dept. of General Practice and Nursing Home Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center, P.O. Box 2088, 2301 CB, The Netherlands. e-mail: i.a.arnold{at}lumc.nl

Medically unexplained physical symptoms are prevalent in primary care. Of all patients attending the family physician, 16% have a somatoform disorder as described by DSM–IV. Cognitive-behavioral treatment has been demonstrated to be effective in secondary care. However, the course of somatoform disorders and their need for treatment have not yet been established in primary care. In this study, data from 1,046 attendees in family practice were analyzed for prevalence, course, and eligibility for treatment. Over a 6-month follow-up, the prevalence of somatoform disorder decreased from 16.1% to 12.3%. After assessment of eligibility, about 5% of patients demonstrated a need for treatment.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. L. Jackson and K. Kroenke Prevalence, Impact, and Prognosis of Multisomatoform Disorder in Primary Care: A 5-Year Follow-up Study Psychosom Med, May 1, 2008; 70(4): 430 - 434. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				W. Rief and G. Rojas Stability of Somatoform Symptoms Implications for Classification Psychosom Med, November 1, 2007; 69(9): 864 - 869. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

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