Learn how a patient’s behavior can factor into the prognosis of medically unexplainable illness! The Psychopathology of Functional Somatic Syndromes examines the link between mental illness and physical syndromes that lack organic disease explanations, including chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, premenstrual dysphoria, irritable bowel, and Gulf War illness. The author has evaluated the best research work of the past 20 years to determine the association between psychopathology and functional illness, the biological gradient between somatic and psychological symptoms, and the manifestations of dysfunctional coping. The Psychopathology of Functional Somatic Syndromes challenges recent conceptualizations of functional somatic syndromes as brain disorders connected to affective spectrum disorder, serotonin deficiency, cerebral hypoperfusion or abnormal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal function and highlights the importance of abnormal illness behavior, sexual victimization, and maladaptive coping for the production and maintenance of these disorders. The Psychopathology of Functional Somatic Syndromes explores observations on the neurobiology and the personality abnormalities of patients made from structured data collected over a period of several years. It describes modern perceptions of functional somatic syndromes and how they have evolved into a tightly knit family of self-standing syndromes with a common core. The book examines the correlation between the burden of psychopathology and the physical features of these illnesses; reviews advances made in the appraisal of the neuroanatomy, neuropsychology, and neurochemistry of functional syndromes; and focuses on the connection between measurable dimensions of personality, coping, and illness behavior and the prognosis of medically unexplainable illnesses. The Psychopathology of Functional Somatic Syndromes examines:
psychiatric morbidity
brain perfusion
post-traumatic stress in Gulf War illness
the spectrum of mood disorders
the hypothalamatic-pituitary-adrenal axis
the sexual victimization of patients
and much more!
The Psychopathology of Functional Somatic Syndromes is an essential resource for psychiatrists and psychologists working in outpatient practice.
--- from the publisher Critical Praise “Four stars! . . . An excellent contribution to the field of medicine. This book reviews all of the relevant literature and neurobiological research for these illnesses to give the reader an in-depth understanding of each. The author draws a distinction between these illnesses and other major psychiatric disorders, and challenges the concept of these problems being primarily a result of neurochemical dysfunction. This in turn prepares you to understand how an individual's personality issues, coping skills, and life situations can result in one of the functional somatic syndromes. The author specifically addresses the importance of abnormal illness behavior, sexual victimization, and maladaptive coping in the formation of these illnesses.-Doody Enterprises / Doody's Electronic Journal (Brett Plyler) “Perhaps the most comprehensive text ever written on the functional somatic syndromes. Easy reading and immensely informative, this book is a must for all primary care physicians and mental health professionals. I can think of no better or more enjoyable way to learn about these fascinating, complex, and extremely common disorders.” -Harold G. Koenig, MD, Editor, International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine; Author of Chronic Pain: Biomedical and Spiritual Approaches; Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Medicine, Duke University Medical Center
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