Social Aspects in Psychosomatic

Is disease real or is it in the mind?

a psychiatric disorder co-morbid with physical illness is associated with low recovery rates, poor functioning and health-related quality of life, increased utilization of medical services and increased health costs, lost productivity, and greater mortality

Physical illness, in particular chronic physical illness, and multiple medical conditions have been found to predict the persistence of psychiatric disorder

severity of the mental disorder, poor mental functioning, demographic factors (age and gender), social vulnerability (low-level education, lower socioeconomic status, and living without a partner), psychobiological vulnerability (e.g., previous psychiatric illness and family psychiatric history), personality (avoidant or dependent), and sustaining factors (e.g., further negative life events and lack of social support)  predictors of the persistence of psychiatric disorder

Family psychiatric history predicted a lower remission of depression Higher level of education predicted persistence of depressive disorder A lower educational level predicted persistence of depressive disorder. A higher educational level also predicted persistence of somatoform disorders

Higher education has been found to be associated with lower prevalence rates of mental disorders Higher education are less at risk for developing psychiatric disorders, but more at risk for persistence if they do develop them.

Physical illness is a strong predictor of depression Lower denial score predicted persistence of anxiety disorders People with anxiety disorders may exhibit dependent personality traits The relationships of persistently distressed patients have been found to worsen over time

poor perceived social support is associated with persistent anxiety