Attachment and Medically Unexplained Somatic Symptoms: The Role of Mentalization

Medically unexplained somatic symptoms (MUSS) are defined as physical symptoms with an as-of-yet unidentified organic cause and/or a maladaptive reaction to organic physical symptoms lasting for at least 3 months and leading to a loss of function (APA, 2013). Patients with MUSS often suffer from multiple interrelated symptoms. These individuals feel restless and ill, and they experience disruptions to their daily functioning, prolonged periods of absence at work, chronic disabilities, and a reduced quality of life (Hoedeman et al.

Source: Psychiatry Research - July 2, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Madelon M.E. Riem, Emmy N.E.M. Doed ée, Suzanne C. Broekhuizen-Dijksman, Eugenie Beijer Source Type: research