Overview: hypochondriasis, bodily complaints, and somatic styles
Abstract
Hypochondriasis can be conceptualized in four ways: 1) as a psychiatric syndrome composed of "functional" somatic symptoms, fear of disease, bodily preoccupation, and the persistent pursuit of medical care, 2) psychodynamically, as a derivative of aggressive or oral drives or as a defense against guilt or low self-esteem, 3) as a perceptual amplification of bodily sensations and their cognitive misinterpretation, and 4) as socially learned illness behavior eliciting interpersonal rewards. There is evidence supporting each of these views, but much more investigation is needed. The authors propose the general concept of somatic style--in particular, an amplifying style--which could be used to investigate symptom formation, bodily perception, and medical illness as a psychological and social event.
Access content
To read the fulltext, please use one of the options below to sign in or purchase access.- Personal login
- Institutional Login
- Sign in via OpenAthens
- Register for access
-
Please login/register if you wish to pair your device and check access availability.
Not a subscriber?
PsychiatryOnline subscription options offer access to the DSM-5 library, books, journals, CME, and patient resources. This all-in-one virtual library provides psychiatrists and mental health professionals with key resources for diagnosis, treatment, research, and professional development.
Need more help? PsychiatryOnline Customer Service may be reached by emailing [email protected] or by calling 800-368-5777 (in the U.S.) or 703-907-7322 (outside the U.S.).
