Relationships between depression and somatization - A review of recent publications on a target subject suffering from somatization

A diagnosis of clinical depression just as masked depression is often assoc iated with body aches that can not be medically explained. After a presenta tion of operational definitions of somatization and psychosomatic disorders , and of the relationship between depression and somatization, a sociopsych ological portrait is given of a target subject suffering from somatization disorder, as discussed in recent publications. The type and psychosocial ch aracteristics, vulnerability to stress, character traits and beliefs, and t he family model of the average person suffering from somatization disorder were specified. Finally, the relevance of various treatments was discussed, emphasizing the interest in multiple treatments after arriving at a succes sful diagnosis. The clinical benefits of prevention in the normal person an d of learning to control the psyche/soma interrelationship were outlined. D eveloping research on somatization, whether it is related or not to depress ive moods, is definitely of cultural and financial interest since these pat ients are large consumers of health care.