Category of mental disorder deserves place in world’s biggest health study

Mental disorders that cause physical symptoms are not included in a major health trends study, despite them impacting as many as 1 in 21 adults, researchers have found.

Dr Damian Santomauro from The University of Queensland’s School of Public Health said somatoform disorders could be the world’s second most burdensome mental health condition, second only to depressive disorders.

“Somatoform disorders are a category of disorders characterised by the experience of physical symptoms that are significantly influenced by psychological factors rather than a clear medical cause,’’ Dr Santomauro said.

"These symptoms – such as headaches, chronic pain, gastrointestinal issues, or excessive worry about illness – can cause major distress and interfere with daily life.’’

However, this category of mental disorders was not included in an influential Global Burden of Disease Study, which is the world’s single largest and most detailed scientific effort to quantify health trends.

Researchers quantified the health burden of somatoform disorders – also known as somatic symptom and related disorders or SSRD – in terms of years lived with disability, finding there were 662 years of life lost for every 100,000 people.

They estimated about 1 in 21 adults globally (4.6 per cent) are living with a somatoform disorder, with prevalence higher among females (7.7 per cent) than males (2.8 per cent).

"To our knowledge, this is the first study to quantify the global prevalence and burden of somatoform disorders in the general population,’’ Dr Santomauro said.

“These findings highlight the prevalence of these disorders and that they can have a profound impact on an individual's health and daily functioning.

“Many people living with these disorders may not realise their symptoms are related to their mental health and the disorder can go undiagnosed and untreated.’’

The Global Burden of Disease Study is led by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, in the United States.

In its most recent report, it examined the global impact of 12 mental disorders, but somatoform disorders were not considered.

Dr Santomauro said estimates of health epidemiology and burden are used to guide policy makers, service planners and to allocate resources.

“This paper is the first to provide these estimates for somatoform disorder,’’ he said.

“We make a strong case for the formal inclusion of somatoform disorders in future cycles of the Global Burden of Disease Study.

“It is our hope this will lead to increased resource allocation, education, staff training and service planning for somatoform disorders and alleviate the burden experienced by people living with these conditions.’’

The research is published in The Lancet Psychiatry.

Collaboration and acknowledgements

Key collaborators for this research are Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research (QCMHR), Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) and University of Copenhagen.  QCMHR is a research partnership between Queensland Health and The University of Queensland.