somatic symptom disorder

noun

plural somatic symptom disorders

: a disorder characterized by a heightened awareness of various physical bodily sensations or symptoms accompanied by the tendency to interpret these sensations and symptoms as indicative of medical illness

specifically : the manifestation of one or more physical bodily sensations, symptoms, or complaints (such as pain, fatigue, or shortness of breath) that cannot be fully explained by a medical condition and that causes excessive concern, distress, anxiety, preoccupation, and impairment

The major criteria for somatic symptom disorder are persistent (lasting 6 months or more), significant somatic symptoms that are associated with disproportionate thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, such as extreme levels of anxiety.

—Mary Ellen Schneider

compare illness anxiety disorder

Examples of somatic symptom disorder in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

As an example, there’s a mental health condition—somatic symptom disorder—characterized by excessive focus on physical symptoms. —Shreyas Teegala, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

2012, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for somatic symptom disorder

• boarder
• border
• corder
• order
• warder
• camcorder
• recorder
• reorder
• suborder
• transborder

Medical Definition

somatic symptom disorder

noun

: a disorder that is characterized by a heightened awareness of various physical bodily sensations or symptoms accompanied by the tendency to interpret these sensations and symptoms as indicative of medical illness

specifically : the manifestation of one or more physical bodily sensations, symptoms, or complaints (as pain, fatigue, or shortness of breath) that usually exist over a period of time (as several months or more), cannot be fully explained by a medical condition or are in excess of what would be expected when a diagnosed medical condition is present, and that causes excessive concern, distress, anxiety, preoccupation, and impairment

As defined in the DSM-5, somatic symptom disorder consists of one or more somatic symptoms … . Symptoms do not have to be medically elusive … , but must result in excessive or disproportionate thoughts, feelings, and/or behaviors by the patient in response to their presence.

—Primary Care Reports

called also somatoform disorder, somatization disorder

compare illness anxiety disorder