pediatrics
Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders in Children
Key Points
Children are preoccupied with and excessively worried about their health, physical symptoms, or the possibility of having or acquiring a serious illness. Children may have multiple symptoms (eg, impaired coordination or balance, weakness, paralysis or loss of sensation, seizures, blindness, double vision, deafness) or one severe symptom, typically pain. Do appropriate examinations and tests initially to rule out a physical disorder as the cause of symptoms and, if symptoms change significantly or objective signs develop, to check for a new physical disorder. Treatment may involve psychotherapy, usually combined with a rehabilitation program that aims to help children get back into a normal routine. 