Treating Female Somatization Disorder with an Eclectic Approach: A Case Study

Description

Page: 432-436

Anuja Brahme (Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital and Research Centre, Pune, Shashwat Hospital, Pune, Maharashtra, Sir Parashurambhau College, Pune, Maharashtra)

Somatization is a complex clinical phenomenon of an interaction of the physiological and the underlying psycho-social aspects and it has been under study few decades. Various evidence-based therapeutic modalities have been proven as efficacious in treating it mainly Cognitive-behavioral interventions (Kroenke & Swindle, 2000; Allen et al., 2006; Moreno et al., 2013; Liu, Gill, Teodorczuk, Li, & Sun, 2019); Multimodal therapy (Kumar & Jahan, 2020; Pieh et al., 2014); and Mindfulness-based approaches (Fjorback et al., 2013; Lakhan & Schofield, 2013). The current article describes an eclectic approach of psychotherapy synthesizing diverse interventions in its tailor-made management with a case study of a 52-year-old female outpatient diagnosed with Somatization disorder. It attempts to elucidate upon the fundamental relationship between allostatic load and Medically Unexplained Symptoms [MUS], and establishes the utility of an eclectic approach in its treatment. Finally, it recommends a collaborative approach among several practitioners for effective treatment outcomes.