Somatization is currently defined as "a tendency to experience and communicate somatic distress in response to psychosocial stress and to seek medical help for it".[1]
This can be, but not always, related to a psychological condition such as:[2]
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) have classified somatoform disorders in the DSM-IV and the World Health Organization (WHO) have classified these in the ICD-10. Both classification systems use similar criteria, though due to limited medical knowledge in psychiatric medicine, differences of opinion are expected. Most current practitioners will use one over the other, though in cases of borderline diagnoses, both may be referred to.
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In psychodynamic theory, somatization is conceptualized as an ego defense, the unconscious rechannelling of repressed emotions into somatic symptoms. Sigmund Freud's famous case study of Anna O. featured a woman who suffered from numerous physical symptoms, which Freud believed were the result of repressed grief over her father's illness.
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