Assessing the Relationship Between Psychosomatic Complaints and Undiagnosed Physical Conditions

Background: Psychosomatic complaints are physical symptoms resulting after psychological factors, often creating an interest in segregating them from the underlying physical illnesses or psychiatric disorders. This study involves exploring the occurrence and severity of psychosomatic complaints across different demographic and socioeconomic factors. This study aims to examine the occurrence and severity of psychosomatic complaints among the patients and differentiate those having underlying physical illnesses from psychiatric disorders. Methods:  The total number of patients included in the study was 150. The psychosomatic symptoms were rated from mild to moderate and severe in intensity, and the differences based on demographic and socioeconomic variables like age, gender, socio-economic status, religion, marital status, and education were analyzed using statistical methods. Results:  There were significant differences in the psychosomatic complaints severity across various age groups (p = 0.002), religious groups (p = 0.002), and marital groups (p = 0.057). Youngsters between 15-29 years of age showed moderate complaints, whereas between the ages of 30 and 44, patients portrayed the most severe complaints. Females portrayed a significantly higher frequency of moderate complaints and severe complaints compared with males. Muslim patients had more frequent moderate and severe complaints than Hindus. Severe complaints were more among the married individuals, probably because of stress related to their family. There was no significant difference based on socioeconomic status (p = 0.313) or education (p = 0.170), though lower socioeconomic status was associated with more severe complaints. Conclusion: The age, gender, religion, and marital status influence psychosomatic complaints. The findings highlight the importance of taking these factors into consideration when diagnosing and managing psychosomatic symptoms, which helps to differentiate between physical and psychiatric conditions in clinical practice.