Somatic symptoms in consultation-liaison psychiatry.

Publisher: Informa Healthcare Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 8918131 Publication Model: Print Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1369-1627 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 09540261 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Int Rev Psychiatry Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: London : Informa Healthcare
Original Publication: Abingdon, Oxfordshire, U.K. : Carfax Pub. Co., c1989-

Cost of Illness* ; Pain*/complications ; Pain*/psychology ; Psychiatric Somatic Therapies*/methods ; Psychiatric Somatic Therapies*/organization & administration ; Somatoform Disorders*/diagnosis ; Somatoform Disorders*/economics ; Somatoform Disorders*/epidemiology ; Somatoform Disorders*/etiology ; Somatoform Disorders*/therapy; Chronic Disease/*psychology ; Psychiatry/*methods; Antidepressive Agents/therapeutic use ; Health Services Misuse/prevention & control ; Humans ; Interdisciplinary Communication ; Models, Psychological ; Patient-Centered Care/methods ; Professional Role ; Referral and Consultation ; Symptom Assessment/methods

In medically ill patients the term 'somatic symptoms' is used to understand those symptoms which cannot be fully understood in the light of existing medical illness(es). These include a number of physical symptoms and also certain clinical syndromes such as irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue syndrome among others. However, it is increasingly recognized that such patients have larger degrees of psychological morbidities, especially depressive and anxiety disorders, and have disproportionately elevated rates of medical care utilization, including outpatient visits, hospitalizations and total healthcare costs. In view of this psychological morbidity, significant distress and functional impairment, the role of the consultation-liaison psychiatrist is prominent in the management of these patients. A consultation-liaison (CL) psychiatrist is expected to be part of the primary care team to manage patient with unexplained SS, and at the same time is expected to guide colleagues to practice a patient-centred approach to improve the outcome of patients with such symptoms. The clinical work of a CL psychiatrist involves evaluation of patients with medically unexplained symptoms for probable psychiatric disorders and treatment of psychiatric morbidity and also management of patients without psychiatric morbidity. Management strategies include reattribution, cognitive behaviour therapy and antidepressants, with each strategy showing varying degrees of success.

0 (Antidepressive Agents)

Date Created: 20130207 Date Completed: 20130805 Latest Revision: 20130206

20221213

10.3109/09540261.2012.727786

23383667