Academic literature on the topic 'Somatic complaints (SomC)'

The reliability of the Computer Technology Hassles Scale, a measure of computer-related stress, and correlates of this measure were investigated. A questionnaire requested demographic data and exposure to computer information, the 69-item Computer Technology Hassles Scale, Perceived Stress Scale, a global measure of stress, the Computer Attitude Scale, and the somatic complaint items from the Hopkins Symptom Checklist. A total of 100 students responded to two administrations, given 2 months apart, of the questionnaire. Test-retest reliability was .64. Correlations of scores on the Computer Technology Hassles Scale with perceived stress were .26 (Time 1), .18 (Time 2) and with somatic complaints .15 (Time 2) and .36 (Time 2). Correlations of the scale with attitudes toward computers were –.08 (Time 1), .03 (Time 2) and with computer anxiety was –.11 (Time 2).

BackgroundChildren with somatic complaints are at increased risk for emotional disorders during childhood. Whether this elevated risk extends into young adulthood – and to which specific disorders – has rarely been tested with long-term prospective-longitudinal community samples. Here we test whether frequent and recurring stomach aches, headaches, and muscle aches during childhood predict emotional disorders in adulthood after accounting for childhood psychiatric and physical health status and psychosocial adversity.MethodThe Great Smoky Mountains Study is a community representative sample with 1420 participants. Children/adolescents were assessed 4–7 times between ages 9–16 years. They were assessed again up to three times between ages 19–26 years. Childhood somatic complaints were coded when subjects or their parents reported frequent and recurrent headaches, stomach aches, or muscular/joint aches at some point when children were aged 9–16 years. Psychiatric disorders were assessed with the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Assessment and the Young Adult Psychiatric Assessment.ResultsFrequent and recurrent somatic complaints in childhood predicted adulthood emotional disorders. After controlling for potential confounders, predictions from childhood somatic complaints were specific to later depression and generalized anxiety disorder. Long-term predictions did not differ by sex. Somatic complaints that persisted across developmental periods were associated with the highest risk for young adult emotional distress disorders.ConclusionsChildren from the community with frequent and recurrent physical distress are at substantially increased risk for emotional distress disorders during young adulthood. Preventions and interventions for somatic complaints could help alleviate this risk.

Masked depression appears to be a common clinical phenomenon. Most depressions present with some somatic complaints in addition to affective and cognitive ones. About one half of all depressions seen by primary care physicians initially present predominantly or exclusively with somatic symptoms. Many of these depressions are not recognized or are misdiagnosed and mistreated. The possible reasons for this are discussed here. The phenomenon of somatization in depressions and other conditions is reviewed and the interface with other related clinical problems like hypochondriasis and conversion is delineated. It is hypothesized that the proportion of depressions that are masked is positively correlated to the patients' tendency to somatize and negatively correlated to the doctors' ability to recognize depressions that hide behind somatic complaints. Suggestions for the diagnosis and treatment of masked depressions are given.

Background: Adolescence is a distinct developmental phase characterized by multiple physical and psychological changes and by an increased vulnerability to somatic and mental health problems. These risk and vulnerability factors are part of a complex biopsychosocial matrix, encompassing multiple factors, such as inherited biological determinants and psychological, societal, and cultural influences, which affect an adolescent’s overall wellbeing. In Morocco, similar to other developing countries, adolescents (young people aged from 15 to 19 years) constitute a substantial proportion of the population (almost 9%). However, studies about adolescents’ health in developing countries are scarce. In this study, we describe adolescents’ somatic health in a sample of high school students from the city of Tetouan, Morocco, and investigate how negative psychosocial factors, such as parental alcohol use problems and/or the experience of abuse, may influence them. Methods: The study sample included 655 adolescents (315 boys and 340 girls, M = 16.64 years, range = 15–18 years) from conviniently selected classes of four high schools in the city of Tetouan in Morocco. The students responded to a survey that assessed the prevalence of somatic complaints/disorders. They also indicated whether they had ever experienced physical and/or psychological abuse and whether they had parents with alcohol use problems. Results: More than half of the adolescents suffered from headaches and one-third had substantial problems with diarrhea or constipation. Both problems were more common in female students. The third most frequent somatic problem, affecting one in four in both genders, was allergy. Almost one-third of Moroccan adolescents (significantly more boys than girls; p = 0.004) reported no somatic complaints. In adolescents who reported parental alcohol use problems and/or experience of physical and/or psychological abuse, the prevalence of several somatic complaints (epilepsy, migraine, headache, diarrhea/constipation, gluten intolerance, allergy, and skin or thyroid disease) increased highly significantly compared to the adolescents who reported no such psychosocial environmental factors. Conclusion: The results suggest that only 3 in 10 urban-living Moroccan adolescents are free of somatic complaints, while the majority suffer from some somatic problems, most often headaches and diarrhea/constipation. The association of certain negative psychosocial factors with adolescents’ somatic health suggests the need of a holistic approach to the treatment of affected adolescents.

IntroductionDepression as a disorder, with all its intensities and clinical forms, requires to be projected on the backdrop of human suffering. In evaluating a depressive episode of a somatically ill person, it is important to assess personality and social context as a whole.ObjectivesTo establish the degree of somatic comorbidity/somatization in depressive patients and the correlation with their social support network.AimsTo recommend cost-effective psycho-social interventions to offer relief and support.MethodWe evaluated 60 patients with depression of various etiologies (Recurrent depressive disorder, Paranoid-depressive disorder, Anxious-depressive disorder). Self-report and observer rating scales were used (SCL-90, Beck, Hamilton) along with a suplimentary consult (where required) by different specialists. Direct observations were made regarding the social support network, in terms of evaluating their scale and efficiency.ResultsThe majority of patients included showed an obvious inconsistency in terms of objective and subjective symptoms, correlated with the lack of an adequate social support network. This resulted in more medical help-seeking, a polymorphic array of somatic symptoms, oscillations of somatic complaints, some showing lack of adherence and only mild improvement with psychotropic therapy. Most of the somatized complaints were gastro-intestinal, respiratory, pain-related and pseudo-neurological, with an increased overall evidence-based cardio-vascular comorbidity.ConclusionsWe suggest that in order to help support patients and ensure fluidization of medical services, mental health care could also be delivered effectively in primary care settings, through community-based programmes and task shifting approaches that engage and support skilled non-specialist health professionals, lay workers, affected individuals, and caregivers (Kakuma, 2011).Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Psychosocial factors long have been associated with the development of hyperfunctional voice disorders such as vocal nodules. However, experimental evidence concerning the role of these factors in the etiology of vocal nodules specifically is sparse. The present study represents a preliminary examination of some psychosocial factors for 3 groups of adult female subjects: 27 with vocal nodules, 17 with hyperfunctionally related voice disorders other than nodules (pathological control), and 33 with no history of voice disorders (normal control). Four psychosocial factors were studied: stress (measured by the Social Readjustment Rating Questionnaire), anxiety (measured by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory), voice use, and somatic complaints (both measured by our own instruments). Relative to the normal control group, the patients with nodules showed significantly increased scores on all factors except stress. The pathological control group showed significantly increased scores on all factors except voice use. No significant differences were found between the group with nodules and the pathological control group on any factor. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for clinical practice and future research.

The patients present to their physician with their somatic symptoms which are attributable to some medical illness. This is not always true. Sometimes a few patients present with the complaints of prolonged fever for months to year duration. As fever is an important vital sign it gains attention of the physician to work up and reveal the cause. In this study apparently healthy patients who complained of prolonged fever were clinically assessed, routine investigations were done and found normal. Then they were provided with a temperature chart to note down body temperature with a thermometer for one week from first visit. Afebrile such fifty patients complaining of fever were referred to psychiatrist for evaluation. All patients showed some sort of psychiatric illness. 20 (40%) were of generalized anxiety disorder, 10 (20%) depression, 5 (10%) mixed anxiety and depression, 5 (10%) obsessive compulsive disorder, 10 (20%) somatoform disorder. The practicing physician may encounter many patients of prolonged fever which are not febrile at all so they need psychiatric assessment and treatment to relieve their distress.TAJ 2014; 27(1): 1-3

The article deals with the main dental manifestations in COPD comorbid with CHD on the background of received basic therapy. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and often coronary heart disease (CHD) associated with it are some of the somatic diseases that have dental manifestations. COPD manifests itself as a persistent restriction of airway patency and is associated with increased chronic inflammatory response of respiratory tract to the action of harmful particles or gases. COPD is often complicated by CHD which combination occurs in more than 55% of cases. It is known that the drugs that are used to treat these diseases have a side effect on the oral cavity. The aim of the study was to research complaints and the clinical status of the oral cavity in patients with cardiorespiratory pathology. Material and methods of the study: 130 patients with a verified diagnosis of COPD and CHD taking baseline therapy have been questioned and examined according to the domestic and international protocols for diagnosis and treatment. All patients were divided into three groups depending on the duration of therapy for the underlying disease: 1A group (49 patients with duration of treatment not more than 3 years), 1B group (40 patients with duration of therapy from 3 to 5 years) and 1C group (41 patients with duration of treatment more than 5 years). The questionnaire included the presence and nature of complaints and questions about individual oral hygiene. The definition of dental status has been carried out according to the standard scheme. Statistical processing has been carried out with the calculation of the median, interquartile range, the Mann-Whitney and c-square test. Results of the study. The main stomatologic complaints of all patients are dryness in the oral cavity, taste distortion, halitosis and hyperesthesia. The most common complaint of the vast majority of all patients was dryness in the oral cavity, which, in the respondents' opinion, was associated with the basic therapy of somatic disease. It is typical that frequency of these complaints occurrence was significantly higher in the group that takes long-term medications for COPD and СHD. The sensation of saliva lack was eliminated by mouth rinsing with water, however, despite the fact that relief was immediate, its duration was no more than two hours. The increased sensitivity of the teeth is associated with a violation of mineral metabolism due to a decrease of remineralizing properties of saliva and release of mineral components from the hard tissue of the teeth under the drugs. Patients form each of the groups noted distortion of taste sensations, which were associated with the beginning drugs intake. The main clinical changes were found in the mucous membrane of the lips, cheeks and papillary apparatus of the tongue, the severity and prevalence of these changes increased with duration of the disease. Almost all patients have got various clinical and morphological pathological changes in periodontal tissues. However, if the ratio of inflammatory changes to atrophic in 1A group is 1: 4.5, then in the 1C group this ratio is 1: 2. Conclusions: The frequency and intensity of dental complaints and clinical manifestations increase with the duration of COPD and CHD. All changes have been caused by the influence both of somatic pathology itself and side effects of medications. Thus, the study of the long-term side effect of drug therapy on the oral cavity of patients with somatic pathology seems relevant, and the variety of manifestations requires the development of adequate comprehensive diagnostic and prophylactic methods.

Introduction. Modern computerisation, frequent use of contact correction, surgical interventions on the visual organ and long-term drug installations often lead to the formation and further progression of dry eye syndrome (DES) with subsequent increased sensitivity and inflammatory symptoms on the conjunctiva and cornea. Purpose. Evaluation of the condition of the eye surface in patients with a burdened general somatic history. Development of measures for prevention, diagnosis and comprehensive treatment of this condition. Material and methods. A retrospective analysis of disease histories and medical records of 108 patients (108 eyes) with phacoemulsification of uncomplicated cataract with IOL implantation was carried out. Patients were divided into three main groups based on the presence of burdening factors of somatic status and the course of the postoperative period: I group included patients with unburdened somatic status and no complications during the course of the postoperative period; II group included patients with burdened general somatic history with complications during the course of the postoperative period; 3rd group included patients with burdened general somatic history with complications during the course of the postoperative period. 3rd group of patients used a special scheme to prevent and treat inflammatory reactions from the eye surface. Results. 1st group patients were less likely to complain and had no clinical manifestations of conjunctival and corneal inflammatory responses. Accordingly, this group of patients did not require additional treatment, which is indicative of the low incidence of complications in this category of patients. II group patients who had been identified as predisposing factors for conjunctival and corneal inflammatory reactions and did not receive additional treatment were more likely to experience complaints and the frequency of clinical manifestations was 20% higher than III group patients. Patients in III group required additional treatment in the postoperative period. Conclusion. Prolonged prescription of high doses of drugs of different groups with different preservative and auxiliary substances content in patients after surgical intervention in some cases leads to damage to the conjunctival and corneal epithelium, which in turn causes an aggravation of symptoms of SSG with the development of inflammatory reaction of the conjunctiva and cornea. The application of preventive measures before and after the surgery leads to a significant reduction in the objective manifestations of the eye surface complications and, as a result, a reduction in the number of complaints from patients about discomfort in the postoperative period. Key words: ocular surface, dry eye syndrome, cataract, allergies, tear film stability.

Aim: This study explores the association between the psychosocial work environment in school and students’ somatic health complaints. With its point of departure from the Demand–Control–Support (DCS) model, the aim was to examine how aspects of decision control and social support can moderate stress-related health implications of high psychological demands. Methods: Data come from two cross-sectional waves of the Swedish version of Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC 2005/2006 and 2009/2010), which consists of a total of 9427 11-, 13- and 15-year-old students. A two-level random intercept model was applied, with school class as the level 2 unit. Results: Findings showed significant associations between school demands and somatic health complaints for all studied age groups, with a slight increase in strength with age. Decision control as well as social support from teachers, parents and peers consistently predicted a favorable association with health. An age pattern emerged in the analyses of stress-moderating resources. For 11 year olds parental support was the only resource that displayed a significant interaction with demands in relation to somatic health complaints, whereas for 13 year olds, decision control and support from teachers and parents all demonstrated moderating effects on student health. For 15 year olds, however, it was peer support that acted as a buffering resource in the studied relationship. Conclusions: The psychosocial work environment is an important predictor of students’ health complaints. Overall, social support was a better stress-moderating resource than decision control, but some “buffers” were more important at certain ages than others.

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) is a popular measure of psychosocial functioning and psychopathology in the assessment of individuals in a variety of settings. However, the method of construction employed with the MMPI more than 60 years ago with psychiatric patients challenges the applicability of the scales for determining the psychosocial functioning of individuals from different settings. The restandardisation conducted in 1987 made no effort to eradicate the item overlap that was a result of the criterion keying method with contrasted groups. Although restandardized and updated with more contemporary language and content, the original psychiatric constructs were retained in order to maintain continuity with its predecessor. The aims of this investigation were to develop a new structure for the MMPI-2 constructed at the item-level, empirically derived and which specifically represents the dimensions that are relevant and appropriate in evaluating the psychosocial functioning of personal injury claimants. This task included comparisons with a comparable scale-level analysis and developing optimal scoring strategies where items in components and facets are allocated weightings based upon their strength of association. Study 1 was conducted using a sample of 2989 personal injury claimants assessed in Australia and the United States of America. The final sample of 3230, included 241 normal individuals, was utilized to develop a scale-level structure from 79 standard MMPI-2 scales and subscales. A nine-component solution consisting of General Maladjustment /Emotional Distress, Asocial Beliefs, Social Vulnerability, Somatic Complaints, Psychological Disturbance, Impulsive Expression, Antisocial Practices, Stereotypic Fears and Family Difficulties was derived using principal component analysis. However, intercorrelation between components in the structure signaled the need to develop a structure that would eradicate problems that were perpetuated by item overlap. The second study was conducted with a set of best practice procedures with the same clinical sample of 2989 personal injury claimants as Study 1. Forty-one components were derived through principal component analysis. Through the application of a set of criteria, a 35-component solution was retained. The pattern coefficients from the allocation of items to components determined the weightings to be applied to each item. Further analysis of the 35 components derived a substructure of 37 facets. The 35 components included only 442 of the 567 items, with the reliability coefficients of the first 25 components that ranged between .5 and .97, and the remaining 10 components that ranged from .29 to .49. The latter unreliable components were not included in the final Structural Summary, leaving 25 components (400 items) and their 33 facets for interpretation. Hence, in demonstrating the utility of the newly-derived structure, only 25 components and their 33 facets were interpreted. The 25 components were grouped conceptually into six domains. In the emotional domain were Psychological Distress (PsyDist), Anger, Fears, Psychotic Symptoms (PsyS), Paranoia (Par), Irritability (Irrit), Elation (Elat), Fear of the Dark (FD), and Financial Worry (FinWo). Somatic Complaints (SomC), Sexual Concerns (SexCon), and Gastrointestinal Problems (GasP) made up the measures in the physiological domain. In the behavioural domain were Cognitive Difficulties (CogDiff), Stimulus-Seeking (StimuS), Discipline (Dis), and Delinquency (Del) whilst the interpersonal domain was formed by Social Withdrawal (SoW), Negative Interpersonal Attitude (NIA), Timidity (Tim), Lie, Dissatisfaction with Self (DWS) and Family Relationship Difficulties (FReD). Alcoholism (Alco) was the only measure in the substance abuse domain, and the gender domain was comprised of Masculinity (Mas) and Femininity (Fem). The third study established preliminary normative means and standard deviations using a small opportunistic Australian university student sample (N = 219). No substantial gender differences were found but gender norms were maintained to facilitate comparisons with the traditional MMPI-2 approach. Comparisons of frequency of 'true' item response between the Australian university student sample and the U.S. restandardisation sample found relatively little differences and permitted evaluation of between sample differences on components and facets. The utility of the structure was demonstrated with the illustration of two clinical case examples, and a comparison was made with the standard MMPI-2 scales and subscales. The Structural Summary for the MMPI-2 demonstrated discriminative measures of psychosocial functioning that were a result of no item overlap, and the ability to attend to the different levels of intensity of self-report items because of differential weightings.

Pregnancy and postpartum recovery involve profound changes that affect nearly every aspect of a woman’s life. This chapter reviews the physical, hormonal, and physiological changes that occur in the course of normal pregnancy and the postpartum period. It describes the common symptoms and sensations associated with these changes and their implications in contributing to behavioral changes and psychopathology. It is important for health care providers to realize that, for a majority of women, somatic symptoms and some psychological symptoms represent normal physiological changes. The symptoms and complaints engendered by the changes of pregnancy are, in most cases, the natural consequence of bringing new life into the world. A familiarity with routine pregnancy-related changes will aid the mental health care provider in recognizing when behavioral patterns deviate from what is expected. Such understanding is key to assessing when such symptoms demand treatment and when they only call for reassurance and legitimization.

This chapter focuses on common mental disorders (CMDs). These disorders include a wide range of conditions that are frequently noticed in the community. It is essentially a convenient, functional grouping of conditions. The chapter analyses the trends on the basis of researches in this area over the past decade. The classification of CMDs for primary health care, according to ICD-10, includes depression, phobic disorder, panic disorder, generalized anxiety, mixed anxiety and depression, adjustment disorder, dissociative disorder, and somatoform disorders. Irrespective of the nature of the disorder, these patients often present with somatic complaints: some patients may admit to having emotional symptoms. It was observed that there is a high degree of co-morbidity among them, leading to significant levels of disability and increased health-care costs.

Schizophrenia symptoms fall into two categories: positive and negative symp­toms. Positive symptoms are behaviours or experiences outside the normal range of human activities. Hearing voices is a good example. Negative symp­toms are behaviours that are removed from the normal range. A reduced ex­perience of pleasure is a good example. Positive symptoms are prominent during the ‘active’ phase of the illness, when an affected individual is most disturbed and disruptive. The active phase is the phase that will more often lead to the individual’s referral for care. This is often because the affected individual will be doing or saying things that upset or disturb people around them, or at least get their attention and draw concern. For example, an individual with delusions might complain to her spouse that she is being followed by aliens and demandthat he help her find a way to stop them. Negative symptoms are most visible during the ‘prodromal’ and ‘residual’ phases of the illness. The prodromal phase comes before the first active phase (so actually occurs before a diagnosis of schizophrenia is ever made), and a residual phase follows each active phase.This class of symptoms most often includes delusions and auditory, visual, or other sensory hallucinations. Positive symptoms can be divided into percep­tual (i.e., affecting perception, or the ability to become aware of some stimulus through the senses), cognitive (i.e., impacting ways of thinking), emotional, or motor (physical) signs. Because these symptoms are so easy to recognize, even to the untrained eye, they make up a large part of the layperson’s general view of schizophrenia.Auditory hallucinations are the most common perceptual problems seen in schizophrenia. Many times, these hallucinations take the form of a voice, some­times making a running commentary on the individual’s thoughts or behaviours. Sometimes they take the form of several voices, each talking with the other. Some individuals with schizophrenia have visual, olfactory (i.e., affecting the sense of smell), or gustatory (i.e., affecting taste) hallucinations, but these are rare. Somatic hallucinations may also occur, in which the altered perception centres at or on the body’s organs.