Part of the Psychiatry and Psychology Commons

Resistant somatoform symptoms: Try CBT and antidepressants reatment-resistant somatoform disorders are chronic (duration>1 year), can cause significant functional impairment, and respond poorly to routine care. In the somatoform category, DSM-IV-TR in-cludes diverse diagnoses such as conversion disor-der, hypochondriasis, pain disorder, and body dys-morphic disorder. But like mismatched shoes, these disorders do not fit together well—one rea-son they are often misdiagnosed and ineffectively treated. This article describes: • debate about how to categorize somatoform disorders—as psychological or physiologic • evidence supporting psychotherapy and anti-depressants to help patients with treatment-resistant somatoform disorders.