Somatic presentation of psychiatric disorders in an outpatient group of Saudis

ABSTRACT

The phenomenon of somatization in Saudi Arabia is considered in a review of 270 cases records of patients who presented to the hospital during a period of four months. A high rate [56%] of conversion of psychic problems into bodily symptoms was found. Males and females showed an equal tendency to somatize; young, single, student and professional, and patients with an associated chronic physical disease were less likely to somatize than the others. Psychotic patients presented with somatic symptoms less frequently than patients with depressive or anxiety disorders; patients who reported psychosocial stresses as influencing their symptoms showed a greater tendency to somatize