Somatization disorder

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Briquet syndrome

The goal of treatment is to help you learn to control your symptoms.

Having a supportive relationship with a health care provider is the most important part of treatment.

• You should have only one primary care provider, to avoid having too many tests and procedures.
• Schedule regular appointments to review your symptoms and how you are coping. The health care provider should explain any test results.

Finding a mental health provider who has experience treating somatization disorders with talk therapy (psychotherapy) can be helpful. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a kind of talk therapy, can help you deal with your pain. During therapy, you will learn:

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• To recognize what seems to make the pain worse
• To develop methods of coping with the symptoms
• To keep yourself more active, even if you still have pain

If you have depression or an anxiety disorder, it may respond to antidepressant medications.

You should not be told that your symptoms are imaginary. Many health care providers now recognize that real physical symptoms can result from psychological stress.

You can become dependent on pain relievers or sedatives.

Having a good relationship with your primary health care provider is helpful. Call for an appointment if you notice a major change in your symptoms.

Review Date: 08/09/2010
Reviewed By: Linda Vorvick, MD, Medical Director, MEDEX Northwest Division of Physician Assistant Studies, University of Washington School of Medicine; and Michelle Benger Merrill, MD, Instructor in Clinical Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).