Overview
Your healthcare provider will perform a physical exam and probably order some laboratory tests to rule out conditions that may be causing your physical symptoms. They’ll also ask you about your health history.
If test results show that you don’t have a medical condition or illness or that your medical condition doesn’t match the severity of your symptoms, your healthcare provider may refer you to a mental health provider for assessment.
A mental health provider, such as a psychologist or psychiatrist, confirms a diagnosis of somatic symptom disorder using specific criteria.
To be diagnosed, a person must have one or more symptoms that cause distress or disrupt daily life for at least six months. They must also have excessive thoughts, feelings or behaviors in response to the symptoms that meet at least one of the following criteria:
- Overly excessive and long-lasting thoughts about the seriousness of the physical symptoms.
- Continuously high levels of anxiety about health or physical symptoms.
- Extreme amount of time and energy focused on physical symptoms and health concerns.
People with somatic symptom disorder may have a difficult time accepting that their concerns are excessive.
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