Somatic symptoms, XXXX and psychological distress: a study of somatisation in Australian general practice.

@entity1 @entity308 @entity132 @entity148 @entity16251
OBJECTIVE: To measure the prevalence of somatisation (multiple somatic symptoms and @entity16251 ) among Australian general practice attendees, its recognition by general practitioners, and its relationship with symptoms of @entity308 and @entity148 . DESIGN, SETTING AND @entity1 : Self-reported questionnaires completed by 10 507 consecutive @entity1 aged > or =18 years attending 340 GPs enrolled in a 6-hour national mental health program of continuing professional development who accepted invitations to participate; audit form completed by GPs for each @entity1 during the period March 2004 to December 2006. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Somatic symptom severity (measured with the 15-item @entity1 Health Questionnaire [PHQ-15]); @entity16251 (measured with the Whiteley Index [Whiteley-7]; @entity308 and @entity148 (measured by the Kessler Psychological Distress scale [K10]); prevalence of "somatisers" (defined by medium to severe somatic symptom severity and @entity16251 ); GP recognition of somatisation (determined by their responses on audit forms to questions on whether @entity1 's complaints were most likely to have a physical or psychological explanation). RESULTS: 18.5% of @entity1 were classified as somatisers and 9.5% as probable cases of @entity308 or @entity148 . While 29.6% of somatisers had high @entity148 or @entity308 scores, 57.9% of @entity1 with @entity148 or @entity308 were also somatisers. Sex and age asserted significant but weak effects on psychometric scores. GPs identified somatic complaints as "mostly explained by a @entity132 " in 25.1% of somatisers. CONCLUSIONS: Somatisation is common in general practice, and more prevalent than @entity308 or @entity148 . While a minority of somatisers have significant @entity148 and @entity308 , most @entity1 with @entity308 and @entity148 have a significant degree of somatisation. Recognition of @entity308 and @entity148 can be hindered by a somatic presentation and attribution. On the other hand, managing somatisation does not just involve recognising @entity308 and @entity148 , but also dealing with the health anxieties that underpin @entity16251 .
