Hypochondriasis (Health Anxiety)
Hypochondriasis (Health Anxiety) Russell Noyes Jr. Introduction Hypochondriasis is a preoccupation with the fear that one has, or may develop, serious disease despite evidence to the contrary. So defined, the…
Conversion and Dissociation Disorders
Conversion and Dissociation Disorders Christopher Bass Introduction Of all the disorders characterized by symptoms in the absence of disease, conversion disorders are perhaps the most difficult to explain. How, for…
Somatization Disorder and Related Disorders
Somatization Disorder and Related Disorders Per Fink Introduction The essential feature of somatization disorder and related disorders is that the patient presents multiple, medically unexplained symptoms or functional somatic symptoms….
Epidemiology of Somatoform Disorders and Other Causes of Unexplained Medical Symptoms
Epidemiology of Somatoform Disorders and Other Causes of Unexplained Medical Symptoms Gregory Simon While nearly every psychiatric syndrome may include some somatic signs or symptoms, a specific group of syndromes…
Somatoform Disorders and Functional Symptoms
Somatoform Disorders and Functional Symptoms Richard Mayou Non-specific symptoms that are not explained by organic pathology are extremely frequent in the general population(1) and in all medical settings. Most are…
Mind-Body Dualism, Psychiatry, and Medicine
Mind-Body Dualism, Psychiatry, and Medicine Michael Sharpe Jane Walker Introduction Patients usually attend doctors because they are concerned about symptoms. When these symptoms are associated with persistent distress or disability…
Culture-Related Specific Psychiatric Syndromes
Culture-Related Specific Psychiatric Syndromes Wen-Shing Tseng The concept of culture-related specific (psychiatric) syndromes In certain ways, all psychiatric disorders are more or less influenced by cultural factors, in addition to…
Treatment of Suicide Attempters and Prevention of Suicide and Attempted Suicide
Treatment of Suicide Attempters and Prevention of Suicide and Attempted Suicide Keith Hawton Tatiana Taylor Introduction In considering the treatment and prevention of suicidal behaviour account should be taken of…
Biological Aspects of Suicidal Behaviour
Biological Aspects of Suicidal Behaviour J. John Mann Dianne Currier Modelling suicidal behaviours To understand the biological underpinnings of multi-determined behaviours such as suicide and attempted suicide it is necessary…
Deliberate Self-Harm: Epidemiology and Risk Factors
Deliberate Self-Harm: Epidemiology and Risk Factors Ella Arensman Ad J. F. M. Kerkhof Introduction Deliberate self-harm (DSH) refers to behaviour through which people deliberately inflict acute harm upon themselves, poison…
