Somatization and Psychosomatic Symptoms

In these uncertain and disquieting times, clients presenting with stress problems are on the rise. Common, too, are those pains that refuse to go away--stomachaches, chest pains, and headaches that fall through the diagnostic cracks and resist appropriate interventions.

Somatization and Psychosomatic Symptoms brings theoretical clarity and frontline expertise to these challenging cases, offering integrative approaches and clinical tools.

This comprehensive reference addresses not only the assessment and treatment of chronic physical complaints but also explores the mechanisms that underlie them, expanding on current perspectives to create a biopsychosociocultural lens for practice. Specific symptoms and disorders are examined in depth, including stress-induced cardiomyopathy, post-stroke depression, and fibromyalgic pain. On the practice side, chapters review a gamut of interventions (from relaxation and mindfulness to systems and cognitive-behavioral), the therapeutic relationship, and the latest findings from psychopharmacology. Included in the coverage:

• A comparison of somatoform disorders with depressive and anxiety disorders.
• Genes, memes, culture, and psychosomatic medicine: an integrative model.
• Complementary and alternative treatment in psychosomatic medicine.
• Pain, depression, and anxiety: a common language of suffering.
• Motivational interviewing in psychosomatic medicine.
• Cancer: a psychosomatic perspective.

With its innovative takes on mind-body medicine, Somatization and Psychosomatic Symptoms will enhance the work of a wide range of professionals, among them psychiatrists, physicians, health and clinical psychologists, and rehabilitative medicine specialists.

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.