Prevalence, comorbidity and psychosocial impairment of somatoform disorders in adolescents

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Abstract
The frequency, comorbidity and psychosocial impairment of somatoform disorders among adolescents was estimated from a survey of 1,035 students aged 12-17 years. The adolescents were randomly selected from 36 schools in the province of Bremen, Germany. Somatoform disorders and other psychiatric disorders were assessed using the computerized Munich version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). About 13.1% of the adolescents met the DSM-IV criteria for any somatoform disorders, with significantly more girls than boys being affected by these disorders. Of the sub-types of somatoform disorders, the most common was that of undifferentiated somatoform disorders, followed by pain disorder, and conversion disorder. On the symptom level, the most common were headache, lump in throat, and abdominal pain. Almost half of those with somatoform disorders met the criteria for at least one other disorder covered in our study. Although most of these adolescents were psychosocially impaired, only a small proportion of them did receive treatment.