Psychopharmacological treatment in patients with somatoform disorders and functional body syndromes

Somatoform disorders and functional body syndromes define a major, diagnostically heterogeneous group of patients with medically unexplained physical symptoms. Psychopharmacological approaches can be derived from the conceptualization of somatoform symptoms and syndromes within a biopsychosocial model. The survey presented focuses on randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled studies. Antidepressants show a statistically and clinically relevant impact on many somatoform symptoms. In special reference to pain symptoms serotonergic and noradrenergic antidepressants seem to mediate a more favorable effect than selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. For some functional body syndromes, e.g. irritable bowel syndrome and fibromyalgia, a major analgesic effect of antidepressants can be underlined as well. The empirical data for fibromyalgia, however, seem to be more convincing than for irritable bowel syndrome. Pregabalin holds an empirically well established position in the treatment of fibromyalgia. As yet there is no convincing psychopharmacological strategy for chronic fatigue syndrome. Probably due to the inherent relationships to anxiety, obsessive-compulsive and depressive disorders, both hypochondria and body dysmorphic disorder can be positively treated by serotonergic antidepressants as well.