Stress and Somatic Symptoms

This book focuses on the assessment and treatment of patients with somatic symptoms, based on biopsychosociospiritual model. Specific assessment skills and treatment techniques are required to approach them effectively. A broad spectrum of knowledge about stress is also needed because stress is closely related to the onset and course of disorders with somatic symptoms.

This book consists of four parts.  Part 1 ‘Stress’ explores stress, vulnerability, and resilience; intermediate mechanisms between stress and illnesses such as psychoendocrinology and psychoimmunology; the measurement of stress; and the relationship between stress and accidents.

Part 2 ‘Somatization’ deals with the concept, mechanisms, assessment, and treatment of somatization. In addition, somatic symptom and related disorders in DSM-5 is included. However, the approach to chronic pain is separately added to this part because pain is a major concern for patients with these disorders.  

Part 3 ‘Specific physical disorders’ mainly deals with common and distressing functional physical disorders as well as major physical disorders. Therapeutic approach for individuals at risk of coronary heart disease is also included.

Part 4 ‘Religion, spirituality and psychosomatic medicine’ emphasizes the importance of a biopsychosociospiritual perspective in an approach for patients with somatic symptoms, especially depressed patients with physical diseases and patients with terminal illnesses because of the growing need for spirituality in such patients.

This book explores stress and a variety of issues relevant to the assessment and treatment of disorders with somatic symptoms in terms of biopsychosociospiritiual perspectives. It will be of interest to researchers and healthcare practitioners dealing with stress, health and mental health.

• somatic
• biopsychosociospiritual
• somatic symptoms
• biomedical
• stress
• somatization
• specific physical disorders
• religion
• spritiuality
• psychosomatic medicine
• psychoendocinology
• psychoimmunology

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

  Kyung Bong Koh

Kyung Bong Koh, M.D., Ph.D. is a professor emeritus 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. He is the editor of the book entitled “Somatization and Psychosomatic Symptoms” mainly based on presentations at the 21st World Congress on Psychosomatic Medicine held in Seoul, Korea in 2011. 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 (SRI). 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. In addition, he was awarded Hanmi Prize of the Most Honorable Medical Doctor in 2013 for his contribution to the development of psychosomatic medicine in Korea. 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 on the editorial board of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics.​ Now he serves as president-elect of the International College of Psychosomatic Medicine (ICPM).

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