Frequency and comorbidity of somatoform disorders in adolescents: Results of a study of adolescent in Bremen

Using data from the Bremer Adolescents study, this article presents some fi ndings on the frequency, comorbidity and psychosocial impairment of somatof orm disorders in adolescents. A total of 136 adolescents (13.1 %) met the c riteria for somatoform disorder, with significantly more girls than boys be ing affected. Of the subtypes of somatoform disorders, the most common was that of undifferentiated somatoform disorder, followed by pain disorder, an d conversion disorder. On the symptom level, the most common were headache, lump in throat, and stomach ache. Almost half of those with somatoform dis orders met the criteria for at least one other disorder covered in our stud y. Although one-third of these adolescents were psychosocially impaired, on ly a small portion of them received treatment.