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Introduction: Somatic symptom and related disorder describes a condition with distressing somatic symptoms, which are excessive for any medical condition that may be present and these patients often over utilize the health care resources. Objectives: To study the clinical profile and precipitating factors among the children and adolescents with somatic symptom and related disorder.
Methodology: In this descriptive study, 137 patients with somatic symptom and related disorder based on DSM-5 criteria were included. Clinical, demographic and psychosocial details were obtained using a detailed evaluation preform and data were statistically analyzed using SPSS.
Results: Somatic symptom and related disorder was most commonly observed in adolescents (42%). 66.4% of patients were females and 33.6% were males. 39.1% of patients had multiple symptoms. Abdominal pain (20.4%) was the most frequent symptom followed by head ache (18.2%). Among those with conversion disorder, unresponsiveness was the most common symptom. 59.1% of patients had multiple precipitating factors and in 4.4% of patients, precipitating factors could not be identified. 59.8% of patients had family stressors. 48.2% of patients had school stressors. Sensitive temperament (16.8%), magical and religious beliefs (10.9%) were the other common precipitating factors identified. Abdominal pain (24.1%) and headache (22.4%) were the commonest symptom among in children and adolescents respectively.
Conclusion: Somatic symptom and related disorder can present with multiple symptoms and is more common among girls. Family stressors were the most frequent precipitating factor followed by school stressors.
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