The somatizing disorders

Management of the patient with somatizing behavior frequently is a frustrating endeavor for the physician who has been trained in a bioscientific model. However, rather than merely looking at these patients as “functional,” “crocks,” or “turkeys,” if we recognize that somatization is not randomly determined and that there are specific therapeutic interventions that can be employed to reduce the intensity of the somatizing behavior, then treatment of these patients can become more satisfactory to the physician.