Replay the webinar and download the slides here.

Somatic Symptom Disorder can result in significant disability and disproportionately high medical utilization and costs. Understanding key characteristics and management strategies for the disorder can help you achieve the best possible outcomes for your clients.

Paradigm Medical Director Hassan Moinzadeh, MD, PhD; and Paradigm Senior Medical Director Steven Moskowitz, MD, share their experience and expertise on this important topic.

Webinar objectives include:

• Defining the key characteristics of Somatic Symptom Disorder.
• Differentiating the disorder from malingering and factitious disorder.
• Describing challenges and strategies for managing the disorder.

Patients with symptom magnification often report or display excessive symptoms or have symptoms that are disproportionate to the physician’s findings.

DSM 5 identifies unconscious and conscious categories of symptom magnification. Like Illness Anxiety Disorder and Conversion Disorder, Somatic Symptom Disorder is a type of unconscious symptom magnification. The two types of conscious symptom magnification are Malingering and Factitious disorder.

“Understanding the difference between unintentionally and intentionally magnifying symptoms is key to care management, ” Dr. Moskowitz says.

Impact of Somatic Symptom Disorder

Somatic Symptom Disorder is linked to disproportionately high medical utilization. People with the disorder tend to have multiple doctors, be more likely to use emergency services, and may not keep scheduled appointments. Disproportionately high medical costs result from increased diagnostic testing, hospitalizations, and total care. It is estimated that a quarter of a trillion dollars in healthcare spending may be attributed to this disorder.

Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders

Dr. Moinzadeh describes the disorder as psychological distress communicated through physical symptoms. “The symptoms persist even when there’s no actual physical disease. A person with Somatic Symptom Disorder is not faking their symptoms. The pain is real,” he says.

Diagnosis and Management Require a Systematic Biopsychosocial Approach

As demonstrated in a case study, a systematic biopsychosocial approach can improve outcomes by emphasizing empathetic and responsible care grounded in doing no harm and avoiding unnecessary tests and procedures.

To learn more about Somatic Symptom Disorder, follow the link at the top of the page to view the full webinar and download the slides.

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