Fifteen-minute consultation: Medically unexplained symptoms

[Multidisciplinary care of an adolescent with somatic disorders]

Theo's clinical observation illustrates the management of a 14-year-old adolescent with unexplained somatic symptoms. His symptoms can be integrated into what the classification of mental illnesses calls a somatic symptom disorder, with a depressive comorbidity. The description of the care pathway shows the gradual acceptance of psychological suffering by the adolescent and his parents in a service where different professionals are involved, with sufficient time for a good therapeutic alliance to be built.

'I can hardly breathe': Exploring the parental experience of having a child with a functional disorder

Functional disorders in children and adolescents are common. Still, little is known about parents' experience of having a child with a functional disorder. The aim of this qualitative interview study was to explore challenges encountered by parents caring for a child undergoing treatment for functional disorder. Sixteen parents to children with functional disorders were interviewed when their child was referred from a paediatric department for further specialized treatment with family therapy in child and adolescent mental health services. Analysis identified three themes, reflecting the parental experiences: parents in limbo, which described how limited knowledge about functional disorders among professionals in non-specialized settings influenced parental roles; a counterintuitive kind of caring, describing parental struggles with adhering to treatment recommendations for functional disorders; and challenges to parental identity, describing parental emotional challenges. These challenges may bar the acceptance of psychological treatment approaches in families with a child with functional disorders.

Functional Somatic Syndromes (FSS) in Children and Adolescents

Abstract. Unspecific somatic health complaints and symptoms are common in children and adolescents, varying on a continuum of severity. When persistent and impairing, they are often referred to as functional somatic syndromes (FSS). The overarching objective of this paper is to provide an overview of the pediatric literature in relation to conceptual, assessment, and treatment issues for youth presenting with FSS. Clinical recommendations are outlined including addressing potential feasibility and barrier issues for families presenting to medical and mental health services. Assessment and treatment issues are further discussed in context of two recent psychotherapy trials conducted with children and older age adolescents (aged from 7 to 19 years). Finally, we address ongoing research gaps in this field with view to strengthen the evidence base in the assessment and treatment of youth presenting with FSS.

Emotional disorder and absence from school: findings from the 2004 British Child and Adolescent Mental Health Survey

Emotional disorder may be associated with absence from school, but the existing evidence is methodologically weak. We studied the relationships between anxiety, depression and emotional difficulties, and school absence (total, authorised and unauthorised) using data from the 2004 British Child and Adolescent Mental Health Survey (BCAMHS). The BCAMHS was a cross-sectional, community survey of 7977 5- to 16-year-olds. Emotional disorder was assessed using the Development and Wellbeing Assessment (DAWBA), and emotional difficulties using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) completed by teachers and parents. Teachers reported days absent in the previous school term. Multivariable negative binomial regression was used to examine the impact of emotional disorder and difficulties on absence. Age, gender and general health were explored as moderators. Anxiety, depression and emotional difficulties were associated with higher rates of all types of absence [rate ratios for total absence: anxiety 1.69 (1.39-2.06) p < 0.001; depression 3.40 (2.46-4.69) p < 0.001; parent-reported emotional difficulties 1.07 (1.05-1.10) p < 0.001; teacher-reported emotional difficulties 1.10 (1.08-1.13) p < 0.001]. The strongest association was observed for depression and unauthorised absence. Relationships were stronger for secondary compared to primary school children. Health and educational professionals should be aware that children with poor attendance may be experiencing emotional ill health, regardless of absence type. The absence may provide a useful tool to identify those who require additional mental health support. Findings highlight the widespread burden of emotional disorder and the need to support those with emotional ill health in continuing to access education.

Illness perceptions of youths with functional disorders and their parents: An interpretative phenomenological analysis study

BACKGROUND

Functional disorders, defined as disorders with no clear medical explanation, are common and impose a significant burden on youths, their families, healthcare services and society as a whole. Currently, the literature describes resistance among patients and their families towards psychological symptom explanations and treatments. More knowledge about the thoughts and understandings of youths with functional disorders and their parents is needed. The aim of this study was to explore the illness perceptions of youths with severe functional disorders and their parents.

METHODS

A qualitative interview study using interpretative phenomenological analyses. The study included 11 youths aged 11-15 years with functional disorders and their parents, where interviews were performed at the point of referral from a somatic to a psychiatric treatment setting.

RESULTS

Analyses identified three main themes. Themes 1(Ascribing identity to the disorder) and 2 (Monocausal explanations) explore key elements of the participants' illness perceptions, and theme 3 (Mutable illness perceptions) explores how illness perceptions are influenced by experiences from healthcare encounters.

CONCLUSIONS

The label 'functional disorder' was poorly integrated in the illness perceptions of the youths and their parents. Participants used a monocausal and typically physical explanation rather than a multicausal biopsychosocial explanation for their symptoms.

Somatic symptom disorder was common in children and adolescents attending an emergency department complaining of pain

AIM

The aim of this study was to quantify the prevalence of somatic pain in a paediatric emergency department (ED).

METHODS

We conducted a prospective observational study using patients admitted to the ED of an Italian children's hospital between December 2014 and February 2015. We enrolled children aged 7-17 who turned up at the ED complaining of pain. Patients and parents were asked to fill in a questionnaire to allow the analysis of the patients' medical history and provide contact details for follow-up. We divided the enrolled patients into four groups: post-traumatic pain, organic pain, functional pain and somatic pain. The questionnaire was used to define pain characteristics and to generate an impairment score.

RESULTS

Of the 713 patients who met inclusion criteria, 306 (42.9%) were enrolled in the study. Of these, 135 (44.0%) suffered from post-traumatic pain, 104 (34.0%) from organic pain, 41 (13.4%) from functional pain and 26 (8.6%) from somatic pain. Somatic pain patients had endured pain longer, had missed more school days and had suffered severe functional impairment.

CONCLUSION

This study highlighted that somatic pain was a significant contributor to paediatric emergency room visits and should be suspected and diagnosed in children reporting pain.