DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2015.v03i03.018

Pages: 1121-1125

Somatization can be defined as the physical complaints and symptoms that cannot be explained through physical findings and examinations. In the illnesses in which pain remains at the forefront, the manifestation of the emotions by means of symbolic body language can cause somatization. Benign breast pain is a common problem; reported prevalence range from 41% to 69%. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between mastalgia and somatization symptoms. This study included 116 patients with non-organic breast pain admitting to the General Surgery Breast Clinic of Adana Numune Education and Research Hospital from February 2012 to February 2013. The control group included 105 healthy volunteers. Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAM-A), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Symptom Checklist Revised-90 (SCL-90-R) and Somatization Dissociation Scale (SDQ) were used to assess the psychiatric symptoms of the patients. When we consider about the BDI and HAM-A test, there was no significant between the patient and control groups. The somatization subscale scores showed significant difference between the patient and control groups (2.12±0.87; 0.91±0.55, respectively) (p<0.001). There was a significant increase in SDQ scores in the patient gruop (30.02±7.50; 22.74±4.01, respectively) (p<0.001). In the mastalgia patients in whom no organic ethiology was determined, somatization findings and levels were found high in accordance with the normal ones. These findings might indicate that mastalgia patients need a multi-discipline approach including psychiatric treatment.