Objective: To review somatoform disorders in late life as they present in the Consultation Liaison setting.
Of all the psychiatric disorders, the somatoform disorders seem to attract more negative attitudes from health professionals than other mental illnesses. Somatization and hypochondriasis are seen in all aspects of medical care of older people and are a challenge for the liaison psychiatrist. There are many influences on somatisation behaviors including gender and age, medical co-morbidity, state versus trait phenomena, all shaping illness behaviour. The literature is reviewed and mechanisms and phenomena of somatization are discussed as they apply to older people in the liaison context. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of treatment issues when somatoform psychopathology is the primary focus for treatment.
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