Abstract
Adolescents diagnosed with somatoform disorders often miss school, are unable to participate in activities of daily living, have to undergo unnecessary expensive medical investigations, and affect the overall family environment. Somatoform disorders can be diagnosed when an adolescent presents with a somatic complaint but with no medical reason and the symptoms cause significant distress and impairment. It is very important to know psychological reasons for the symptoms. The family plays a crucial role in somatoform disorders in adolescents, and issues related to family need to be addressed simultaneously. Several factors related to family and child and environmental factors are responsible for predisposing, precipitating, and maintaining the illness. An extensive assessment is essential before beginning intervention. A module was developed consisting of 6 sessions involving both parent and child. The sessions consisted of psychoeducation and preintervention study measures, providing reassurance, support, functional analysis, symptom management involving distraction, secondary gains, relaxation, cognitive restructuring, and activity rescheduling. Family-based interventions consisted of teaching relaxation to parents and coping exercises, improving family communication. Further, the child is also taught stress management, problem-solving, assertiveness skills, and relapse management, followed by post-assessment measures. Timely management of somatoform disorders is essential as it can prevent burden on the family, decrease illness-related distress, and prevent continuation of illness in adulthood.
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Kailash, S., Mehta, M., Sagar, R. (2015). Somatoform Disorders. In: Mehta, M., Sagar, R. (eds) A Practical Approach to Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for Adolescents. Springer, New Delhi. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-81-322-2241-5_13
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-81-322-2241-5_13
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