Patients who have significant somatic symptoms and are primarily concerned about the symptoms themselves are diagnosed with somatic symptom disorder.

In somatic symptom disorder, an individual’s symptoms concern and preoccupy them, worry them constantly, and/or drive them to see medical professionals very frequently.

Fortunately, a somato-form disorder will not shorten a person’s life.

The differential diagnosis for histrionic personality disorder also includes somatic symptom disorder and illness anxiety disorder.

The essential feature of this disorder is the presence of one or more physical complaints

Individuals who have somatic symptom disorder and another medical problem may overreact to the medical problem.

Undifferentiated Somatoform Disorder is not diagnosed if the symptoms are better accounted for by another mental disorder.

Undifferentiated Somatoform Disorder is not diagnosed if the symptoms are better accounted for by another mental disorder.

Based on studies of somatization disorder, medication approaches rarely are successful for this condition.

The disturbance is not better accounted for by another mental disorder (e.g., another somatoform disorder, sexual dysfunction, mood disorder, anxiety disorder, sleep disorder, or psychotic disorder).

Based on studies of somatization disorder, medication approaches rarely are successful for this condition.

One review estimates that the prevalence of somatic symptom disorder in the general population is approximately 5%–7%.

A study in Belgium reported that somatization syndrome is the third highest psychiatric disorder, with a prevalence rate of 8.9%.

The preoccupation is not better accounted for by generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, a major depressive episode, separation anxiety, or another somatoform disorder.

Somatic symptom disorder (SSD formerly known as "somatization disorder" or "somatoform disorder") is a form of mental illness that causes one or more bodily symptoms, including pain.