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Unexplained Physical Complaints

Psychopathology and Epidemiological Correlates

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 August 2018

Javier I. Escobar  and
Glorisa Canino
Javier I. Escobar*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Connecticut Health Center
Glorisa Canino
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
*
VA Medical Center (14A), 555 Willard Avenue, Newington, Connecticut 06111, USA
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Extract

‘Hypochondria’, ‘hypochondriasis’, and ‘somatisation’ are terms long used to characterise individuals who display unrelenting somatic symptoms that cannot be medically explained. A psychiatric aetiology for such phenomena is often assumed on the basis of potential psychological gain, the presence of ‘stressors’, the co-existence of unexplained somatic symptom and symptoms of depression or anxiety, or merely the absence of a medical explanation.

Type
I. Nosological Aspects
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 154 , Issue S4: Psychiatric Diagnosis: Nosological, Biological and Psychological Aspects , May 1989 , pp. 24 - 27
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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