Clinical Study on Psychiatric Outpatients with Somatic Complaints

Keimyung Medical Journal 1984;3(2):169-174.

신체 증상을 주소로 하는 정신과 외래환자의 임상적 고찰

박영남

Abstract

This study is done retrospectively on 133 new psychiatric outpatients with somatic complaints who were seen at Dong San Hospital, Keimyung University, between January 1984 and June 1984. The probands were 32.6% of the new psychiatric outpatients during study period. There was no significant sex difference, however, the male probands (Mean age-29.5, 예0.75) were significantly younger than female probands (Mean age=37.8, ?二13,85) Headache(63.9%) was most common somatic complaints and was followed by chest discomforts (31.6%) and insomnia (27. 8%). About 77% of the probands had diagnosable psychiatric disoders. Depressive disorders(31.6%) and somatoform disorders (22.6%) were two most common prychiatric diagnoses among the probands. The duration of presenting complaints were varied widely and it was over 1 year in 43.6% of the the probands. About 38% of the probands had single visit without follow up. The results of this study suggest that the somatic symptoms were quite frequent among psychiatric outpatients. Thorough psychiatric evaluation revealed underlying psychiatric disorders. These patients seemed to have a difficulty to develope therapeutic rapport and tended to wander from one place to another without satisfaction.