Psychotherapy Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Psychotherapy, including details on psychiatry, psychoanalysis, methods, outcomes.

Somatization or psychosomatic symptoms?

Avila LA

Medical College of São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil. lazslo@terra.com.br

The author describes some problems emerging from the approach to and comprehension of somatization symptoms, discussing ambiguities regarding somatization seen in the current classification manuals (ICD-10 and DSM-IV). Then the author presents a case report of a man who presented with a bizarre symptom of feminization that was successfully treated with psychotherapy. The author ends with a discussion of the relationship between meaning and symptom.

Published 1 March 2006 in Psychosomatics, 47(2): 163-6.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2005-2008 Psychotherapy Research Today. All Rights Reserved.