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Neuropsychodynamic Psychiatry pp 319–334Cite as

Somatization and Bodily Distress Disorder

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Abstract

Somatization refers to the formation of bodily symptoms—including pain, vegetative symptoms, and others—that do not have an appropriate medical explanation.

From a psychodynamic perspective, somatization is caused by the repression of subjectively unbearable emotions, conflicts, and memories. A neurobiological correlate of this mechanism is the altered function of the brain regions that are involved in the processing of autobiographical memory.

If intensified pain perception is the leading symptom, subjectively experienced social separation can very often be identified as a trigger mechanism. From a neurobiological point of view, this phenomenon is caused by shared neural presentations for the processing of pain and social isolation.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Hospital, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

    Moritz de Greck

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  1. Moritz de Greck
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Heinz Boeker

  2. Hospital of Psychiatry-Psychotherapy-Psychosomatic, General Hospital Frankfurt, Teaching Hospital of the University, Frankfurt, Germany

    Peter Hartwich

  3. Mind, Brain Imaging, and Neuroethics, Institute of Mental Health Research, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Georg Northoff

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de Greck, M. (2018). Somatization and Bodily Distress Disorder. In: Boeker, H., Hartwich, P., Northoff, G. (eds) Neuropsychodynamic Psychiatry. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-75112-2_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-75112-2_15

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