Complexity assessed by the INTERMED in patients with somatic symptom disorder visiting a specialized outpatient mental health care setting:: A cross-sectional study

Background Somatic symptom disorders (SSD), a new classification in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition is associated with problematic diagnostic procedures and treatment that lead to complex care. In somatic health care, the INTERMED has been used to assess levels of complexity; however, in SSD this instrument has not yet been applied. Objective This study aims to explore complexity in patients with SSD using the INTERMED, hereby contributing to an increased comprehension of this new patient group. Method In this cross-sectional study, the INTERMED was used to assess complexity in outpatients with SSD at the Clinical Centre of Excellence for Body, Mind, and Health (The Netherlands), along biologic, psychologic, social, and health care domains. This was done retrospectively with patient files from consecutive patients from 2011 until 2015.ResultsIn the total SSD sample (N = 187), 63% was female, the mean age (standard deviation) was 42 (±12.4) years, with an average educational level. The mean INTERMED score was 23.5 indicating high overall complexity in this population. A high proportion of our sample (69%) scored as highly complex (>20). High complexity was associated with higher depression and anxiety scores, but not with a higher number of physical symptoms. Conclusions This study demonstrates that patients with SSD form a high-complex group, with higher scores compared with literature about multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, or patient waiting for a liver transplant. INTERMED outcomes indicate a need for extensive diagnostic procedures and integrated multidisciplinary care for patients with SSD. Attention should especially be paid to mental disorders (depression and anxiety), given their association with high complexity

Medically unexplained and explained physical symptoms in the general population: Association with prevalent and incident mental disorders

Background Clinical studies have shown that Medically Unexplained Symptoms (MUS) are related to common mental disorders. It is unknown how often common mental disorders occur in subjects who have explained physical symptoms (PHY), MUS or both, in the general population, what the incidence rates are, and whether there is a difference between PHY and MUS in this respect. Aim To study the prevalence and incidence rates of mood, anxiety and substance use disorders in groups with PHY, MUS and combined MUS and PHY compared to a no-symptoms reference group in the general population. Method Data were derived from the Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study-2 (NEMESIS-2), a nationally representative face-to-face survey of the general population aged 18-64 years. We selected subjects with explained physical symptoms only (n=1952), with MUS only (n=177), with both MUS and PHY (n=209), and a reference group with no physical symptoms (n=4168). The assessment of common mental disorders was through the Composite International Diagnostic Interview 3.0. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to examine the association between group membership and the prevalence and first-incidence rates of comorbid mental disorders, adjusted for socio-demographic characteristics. Results MUS were associated with the highest prevalence rates of mood and anxiety disorders, and combined MUS and PHY with the highest prevalence rates of substance disorder. Combined MUS and PHY were associated with a higher incidence rate of mood disorder only (OR 2.9 (95%CI:1.27,6.74)). Conclusion In the general population, PHY, MUS and the combination of both are related to mood and anxiety disorder, but odds are highest for combined MUS and PHY in relation to substance use disorder. Combined MUS and PHY are related to a greater incidence of mood disorder. These findings warrant further research into possibilities to improve recognition and early intervention in subjects with combined MUS and PHY