Management of Somatoform Disorders in Children and Adolescents

Summary: Somatoform disorders are characterized by the repeated subjective experience of physical symptoms which are not explained by any physical disease. These guidelines are broad and are expected to help in the systematic assessment and management of a child with somatoform disorders. A multi-disciplinary approach involves history taking, physical examination, and diagnostic tests to rule out both serious and benign medical factors. A positive diagnosis based on the identification of features typical of somatoform disorder, is superior to one based on exclusion. The assessment must also account for individual factors, family-related factors, and other environmental factors. Treatment goals for the immediate, short- and long-term involve  reducing ineffective treatment-seeking, but also improvements in coping skills and resumption of age-appropriate activities. A cognitive-behvioral framework for such understanding, and guidelines for the the outcomes of family intervention, psychoeducation and medication, are also provided.

Authors: Vivek Agarwal, Chhitij Srivastava, Prabhat Sitholey

Year of Publication: January-2019