HEALTH TOPICS 
Somatic Symptom Disorder
What Is It?
A person with somatic symptom disorder has one or more "somatic" (physical) symptoms over a long period of time (usually half a year or more). Symptoms may or may not be explained fully by another medical diagnosis.
The person may be reacting to normal bodily sensations or a minor illness. He or she may have a strong tendency to worry about illness or feel more threatened than average by health concerns. But the person is not "faking." The symptoms cause authentic distress.
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