Abstract
Background : In discussing the treatment of psychosomatic diseases, it is necessary to mention not only the diagnoses but subjective perceptions of the disease. We investigated the relationship between subjective perceptions of the disease and the effects of treatment. Subject : Seventy-one outpatients who had been treated for 6 months at the department of psychosomatic medicine in a medium-sized municipal hospital. Method : Participants were brought under 2 chief categories, objective and subjective. Diagnoses formed the objective category and the subjective category included the trigger of onset (present or absent) and the details of it (endogenous or exogenous). The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) were assessed two times, before the treatment and 6 months later, and analyzed in each category. Results : Scales 1, 2, 3 and 7 in the first MMPI were medium-higher than other scales in whole patients, then scales 1, 2, 3, 7 and 0 significantly decreased by the 6th-month treatment. The numbers of the patients who showed 70 or higher T score decreased by the 6th-month treatment on scales 2 and 7. The trigger present group showed higher scores on scales L and K than the trigger absent group although there were no interaction effects. No group and interaction effects were found between other groups according to the categories of the diagnoses and the details of trigger. Conclusion : Patients with psychosomatic disease have a tendency to be worried about somatic disease, depres- sive, tense, anxious, paranoid, repressive and denying. These are considered to be secondary acquired characteristics as they can be improved by treatment. Patients who are repressive and attempt to show themselves to be good tend to be conscious of triggers of onset, while those who have poor coping skills and develop psychological problems tend to have no triggers nor awareness of them.
