mental health disorders
Somatic Symptom Disorder
Diagnosis of Somatic Symptom Disorder
A doctor's evaluation, based on specific criteria Doctors diagnose somatic symptom disorder when people do the following: Have symptoms that worry them excessively and/or disrupt their daily life Constantly think about how serious their symptoms are Are extremely anxious about their health or the symptoms Spend an excessive amount of time and energy on the symptoms or health concerns To determine whether symptoms are due to a physical disorder, doctors do a thorough examination and often do tests. Somatic symptom disorder can be distinguished from similar mental health disorders by its persistent symptoms and the accompanying excessive thoughts and worries about the symptoms. This disorder may be missed in older people because certain symptoms, such as fatigue or pain, are considered part of aging or because worry about symptoms is considered understandable in older people, who usually have several medical problems and take many medications. 