This Article  • References  • Full text PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Citing articles on Web of Science (10)  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

Arthur J. Barsky, MD

Arch Intern Med. 1986;146(5):905-909.

Abstract
• Any given pathological lesion produces somatic symptoms whose Intensity varies widely among different patients, and In the same patient at different times. There is clinical and experimental evidence that a patient's level of symptomatic distress is amplified by four factors as follows: the thoughts he has about his symptom, the degree to which he pays attention to it, his mood, and the situational context. These factors can be used therapeutically in maximizing palliation and symptomatic relief for patients with chronic medical diseases. Discussing the causes of the patient's symptoms can be helpful, as can strategies to maximize distraction and focus the patient's attention away from his body. Aggressive treatment of anxiety and depression is indicated in chronically symptomatic patients, and behavioral interventions to alter the family's response to the patient's symptoms can also be palliative.

(Arch Intern Med 1986;146:905-909)

Author Affiliations
From the Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, and the Primary Care Psychiatry Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston.

Footnotes
Accepted for publication Sept 24, 1985.

Reprint requests to Ambulatory Care Center 707, Massachusetts General Hospital, Fruit Street, Boston, MA 02114 (Dr Barsky).

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

The Primary Care of Patients Who Have Bodily Concerns
Blackwell and De Morgan
Arch Fam Med 1996;5:457-463.
ABSTRACT