Personality traits such as neuroticism and disability predict psychological distress in medically unexplained symptoms: A three-year experience from a single centre

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vikas Menon ◽  
Balasubramanian Shanmuganathan ◽  
Jaiganesh Selvapandian Thamizh ◽  
Anand Babu Arun ◽  
Pooja Patnaik Kuppili ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Medically Unexplained Symptoms ◽  
Single Centre ◽  
Medically Unexplained ◽  
Unexplained Symptoms

Neuroticism, alexithymia, negative affect and positive affect as predictors of medically unexplained symptoms in primary care

2002 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 181-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. De Gucht
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Affective State ◽  
Medically Unexplained Symptoms ◽  
Positive And Negative Affect ◽  
Medically Unexplained ◽  
Unexplained Symptoms

Background:Somatization has been defined in a number of ways. Despite their differences, these definitions have one element in common, namely the presence of somatic symptoms that cannot be explained (adequately) by organic findings.Objective:The primary objectives of the dissertation were to gain a better insight into the concept of somatization, and to study (prospectively) the relationship between neuroticism and alexithymia, two personality traits that have been shown to be related to somatization, the affective state dimensions positive and negative affect (or psychological distress) and medically unexplained symptoms.Method:A selective review was conducted regarding conceptual and methodological issues related to somatization. A total number of 318 patients, presenting to their primary care physician with medically unexplained symptoms, participated in the prospective study. Both at baseline and at 6-month follow-up a number of measures were filled out with respect to somatization, neuroticism, alexithymia, negative and positive affect, anxiety and depression.Results:The concept of somatization was clarified, thereby making use of the distinction between presenting and functional somatization. The personality traits neuroticism and alexithymia were found to have an indirect influence on symptom reports. Both the cross-sectional and follow-up data pointed to the importance of positive and negative affect as determinants of (changes in) number of symptoms (over time). Negative affect, together with the alexithymia dimension measuring difficulty identifying feelings, predicted symptom persistence.Conclusions:The theoretical as well as therapeutic implications of the present paper may give an impetus to new research in the domain of somatization.

scholarly journals Psychiatric characteristics of older persons with medically unexplained symptoms: A comparison with older patients suffering from medically explained symptoms

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
D. J. C. Hanssen ◽  
T. J. W. van Driel ◽  
P. H. Hilderink ◽  
C. E. M. Benraad ◽  
P. Naarding ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Older Patients ◽  
Older Persons ◽  
Somatoform Disorders ◽  
Medically Unexplained Symptoms ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Healthcare Settings ◽  
Medically Unexplained ◽  
Unexplained Symptoms ◽  
Dsm Iv

Abstract Background. Empirical studies on the clinical characteristics of older persons with medically unexplained symptoms are limited to uncontrolled pilot studies. Therefore, we aim to examine the psychiatric characteristics of older patients with medically unexplained symptoms (MUS) compared to older patients with medically explained symptoms (MES), also across healthcare settings. Methods. A case–control study including 118 older patients with MUS and 154 older patients with MES. To include patients with various developmental and severity stages, patients with MUS were recruited in the community (n = 12), primary care (n = 77), and specialized healthcare (n = 29). Psychopathology was assessed according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) criteria (Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview) and by dimensional measures (e.g., psychological distress, hypochondriasis, and depressive symptoms). Results. A total of 69/118 (58.5%) patients with MUS met the criteria for a somatoform disorder according to DSM-IV-TR criteria, with the highest proportion among patients recruited in specialized healthcare settings (p = 0.008). Patients with MUS had a higher level of psychological distress and hypochondriasis compared to patients with MES. Although psychiatric disorders (beyond somatoform disorders) were more frequently found among patients with MUS compared to patients with MES (42.4 vs. 24.8%, p = 0.008), this difference disappeared when adjusted for age, sex, and level of education (odds ratio = 1.7 [95% confidence interval: 1.0–3.0], p = 0.070). Conclusions. Although psychological distress is significantly higher among older patients with MUS compared to those with MES, psychiatric comorbidity rates hardly differ between both patient groups. Therefore, treatment of MUS in later life should primarily focus on reducing psychological distress, irrespective of the healthcare setting patients are treated in.

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