Somatic symptom disorder

Somatic symptom disorder is a professional term in psychiatry and psychology. It refers to persistent worries or beliefs about various bodily symptoms, leading to repeated medical consultations despite normal results from various medical examinations (meaning no physical illness is found, or the physical illness is insufficient to explain the symptoms experienced by the patient). Even after repeated explanations and reassurances from doctors, the patient's doubts remain unresolved. This disorder is relatively common, affecting about one in every dozen adults. It is more prevalent in women than in men. The main symptoms include the patient repeatedly reporting physical symptoms, constantly demanding medical examinations, disregarding negative results from repeated tests, and ignoring doctors' repeated assurances about the results.