Week 2: Case Study 7 Conclusion: Undifferentiated Somatoform Disorder

Case Study 7: A 35-year-old clothing salesman was showing a particularly fussy customer a suit 2 months ago and suddenly began to sweat profusely. His heart started to pound, he felt dizzy, and became fearful that he was about to die. The customer didn’t notice his condition and continued to question him about the suit in minute detail. The patient, feeling faint, abruptly left the customer and went to lie down in the back of the store. The customer became insulted, complained to the manager, and left. When the manager found the patient he was slumped in a chair in the back room trembling. Approximately 10 minutes later the patient’s symptoms began to subside. He saw his physician the next day who found no evidence of any medical problems. Two weeks later, he had another similar unexpected attack. Since that time he has worried continuously about having another attack. His friends and colleagues have noticed that he is no longer as spontaneous and outgoing as he had been in the past.

The patient is maybe demonstrating symptoms of Undifferentiated Somatoform Disorder.

Treatment: Identifying any psychological problems or dealing with fatigue/stress. This involves taking a stress-management that helps them deal with stress and help link how to prevent the disorder. Also, anti-depressants have proven helpful with this disorder.

Summary: This patient is going through a significant amount of stress, dealing with angry customers. He complains of dizzyness, profuse sweating, racing heartbeat, and feeling faint. However, after examination, a doctor found no evidence of any medical problems. As a result of the fear of having another one of these "anxiety attacks", he shows "significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other areas of functioning". He demonstrates many of the symptoms that are associated to a Undifferentiated Somatoform Disorder.