A SYMPTOM CHECKLIST TO SCREEN FOR SOMATOFORM DISORDERS IN PRIMARY-CARE

Current DSM-IV somatoform diagnoses may inadequately capture many soma tizing patients in primary care. By using data from two studies (1,000 and 258 patients, respectively), the authors determined I) the optima l threshold on a checklist of 15 physical symptoms to screen for a rec ently proposed somatoform diagnosis, multisomatoform disorder (MSD), a nd 2) the concordance between MSD and somatization disorder: The optim al threshold for pursuing a diagnosis of MSD was seven or more physica l symptoms. The majority (88%) of the patients who met criteria for MS D had either full or abridged somatization disorder MSD was intermedia te between abridged and full somatization disorder in terms of its ass ociation with functional impairment, psychiatric comorbidity, family d ysfunction, and health care utilization and charges.