Somatization and Psychosomatic Symptoms

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xiv

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2. Basic Understanding of Somatization

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1

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   2. Identity of Somatoform Disorders: Comparison with Depressive Disorders and Anxiety Disorders

      • Kyung Bong Koh

      Pages 3-15

3. Theoretical Approaches to Mind and Body

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 17-17

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   2. Toward a Philosophy of Life to Underpin Personhood in Medicine

      • Osborne P. Wiggins, Michael Alan Schwartz

      Pages 19-30

4. Biopsychosociocultural Mechanisms in Psychosomatic Medicine

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 31-31

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   2. Genes, Memes, Culture, and Psychosomatic Medicine: An Integrative Model

      • Hoyle Leigh

      Pages 33-40

   3. Alexithymia and Somatic Symptoms

      • Gen Komaki

      Pages 41-49

   4. Culture and Somatic Symptoms: Hwa-byung, a Culture-Related Anger Syndrome

      • Sung Kil Min

      Pages 51-60

   5. Molecular Mechanism of Sleep–Wake Regulation: From Basic to Translational Research

      • Yoshihiro Urade

      Pages 61-71

5. Practical Approaches to Patients and Family

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 73-73

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   2. Psychosomatic Approach to Clinical Practice

      • Eliana Tossani, Giovanni Andrea Fava

      Pages 75-90

   3. Emotional Intelligence, Alexithymia, and the Doctor-Patient Relationship

      • Arnstein Finset

      Pages 91-98

   4. An Effective Approach to Somatization Assessment and Management

      • Kyung Bong Koh

      Pages 99-111

   5. Role of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Psychosomatic Medicine

      • Sae-il Chun

      Pages 113-128

   6. Family Assessment and Intervention for Physicians

      • Gabor I. Keitner

      Pages 129-143

6. Specific Psychosomatic Symptoms

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 145-145

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   2. Pain, Depression, and Anxiety: A Common Language of Human Suffering

      • Tatjana Sivik, Matteo Bruscoli

      Pages 147-163

   3. Psychosomatic Aspects of Fibromyalgia

      • Masato Murakami, Woesook Kim

      Pages 165-174

   4. A Psychosomatic Approach to the Treatment of the Difficult Chronic Pain Patient

      • Jon Streltzer

      Pages 175-187

This book, with contributions emanating from the 21st World Congress of Psychosomatic Medicine held in Seoul in August 2011, presents the latest evidence-based information about the mechanisms, assessment, and management of psychosomatic disorders from a biopsychosociocultural perspective. Somatization is a process characterized by excessive or inappropriate focus on physical symptoms that are medically unexplained. It is highly prevalent in primary care medicine, as somatoform (psychosomatic) disorders tend to be chronic and can cause significant personal suffering and social problems as well as financial burden.​  ​

• chronic pain
• medically unexplained illness
• psychosomatic medicine
• psychosomatic symptoms
• somatization
• somatoform disorders
• rehabilitation psychology

From the reviews:

“This comprehensive, well-organized book covers a broad range of topics that may be used to develop an effective biopsychosocial approach to patient-centered care. … Clinicians in any area of medicine would gain insight from reading this book because of the ubiquitous presence of somatic symptoms. Particularly, primary care providers and mental health care clinicians would benefit from the comprehensive nature of this book especially in caring for their difficult to treat patients.” (Sheila Lahijani, Doody’s Book Reviews, January, 2014)

• College of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea, Republic of (South Korea)

  Kyung Bong Koh

Kyung Bong Koh, M.D., Ph.D. is a professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. He is the author of Stress and Psychosomatic Medicine and has contributed chapters to several textbooks. His many published articles concentrate primarily on psychosomatic medicine, psychoneuroimmunology, somatization, and stress. He has developed a number of psychological instruments, including the Stress Response Inventory. He has received three academic awards for his distinguished research on the relationship between anger and somatization, immunology in anxiety disorders, and neural activity in panic disorder and somatoform disorder from the Korean Neuropsychiatric Association. He played a leading role in founding and also served as president of the Korean Society of Psychosomatic Medicine. He worked as chair of the Scientific Committee of the Society and was the first editor-in-chief of the Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine. In addition, he served as chairperson of the organizing committee of the international academic meetings, such as the 13th Asian College of Psychosomatic Medicine and the 21st World Congress on Psychosomatic Medicine held in Seoul, Korea. He is a member of the International College of Psychosomatic Medicine and on the editorial board of Biopsychosocial Medicine.

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