The following is a case example of a person suffering from Somatic Symptom Disorder.

A 38-year-old married woman, the mother of five children, reports to a mental health clinic with the chief complaint of depression. She was diagnosed with major depressive disorder. Her marriage has been a chronically unhappy one; her husband is described as an alcoholic with an unstable work history, and there have been frequent arguments revolving around finances, her sexual indifference, and her complaints of pain during intercourse. She describes herself as someone who is usually nervous since childhood and as having been continuously sick during her youth. She experiences chest pain from time to time. She sees physicians frequently for abdominal pain, having been diagnosed on one occasion as having a "spastic colon." In addition to M.D. physicians, she has consulted chiropractors and osteopaths for backaches, pains in her extremities, and a feeling of numbness in her fingertips. She was recently admitted to a hospital following complaints of abdominal and chest pain and vomiting. She was admitted and had a hysterectomy. Following the surgery she has been troubled by spells of anxiety, fainting, vomiting, food intolerance, and weakness and fatigue. Physical examinations reveal that she is completely fine.
 

Somatic symptom disorder involves being distressed by and having one's life disrupted by concerns about physical symptoms when there is no obvious physical or medical cause for the symptoms.

Each of the following criteria must have been met, with individual symptoms occurring at any time during the course of the disturbance:

1. Four pain symptoms: a history of pain related to at least four different sites or functions (e.g., head, abdomen, back, joints, extremities, chest, rectum, during menstruation, during sexual intercourse, or during urination)

2. Two gastrointestinal symptoms: a history of at least two gastrointestinal symptoms other than pain (e.g., nausea, bloating, vomiting other than during pregnancy, diarrhoea, or intolerance of several different foods)

3. One sexual symptom: a history of at least one sexual or reproductive symptom other than pain (e.g., sexual indifference, erectile or ejaculatory dysfunction, irregular menses, excessive menstrual bleeding, vomiting throughout pregnancy)

4. One psuedoneurological symptom: a history of at least one symptom or deficit suggesting a neurological condition (e.g. symptoms such as impaired coordination or balance, paralysis or localized weakness, difficulty swallowing or lump in throat, inability to speak, urinary retention, hallucinations, loss of touch or pain sensation, double vision, blindness, deafness, seizures, amnesia or loss of consciousness other than fainting).

People with Somatic Symptom Disorder are not faking their symptoms. The distress they experience from their physical symptoms are real, regardless of whether or not a physical explanation can be found. The distress from symptoms significantly affects daily functioning.

Treatment

A counsellor would help the individual understand whether or not he suffers from Somatic Symptom Disorder. Counsellor will be focusing on improving daily functioning, not on managing symptoms. Counselling can help in stress reduction which is often an important part of getting better. Counseling for family and friends may also be useful. Cognitive behavioural therapy may help relieve symptoms associated with Somatic Symptom Disorder. The therapy focuses on correcting distorted thoughts, unrealistic beliefs and behaviours that lead to anxiety about physical health. A referral to a medical practitioner such as a psychiatrist might be necessary for adequate treatment. Counselling would provide supportive help.