Meaning & use
somatoform
Last updated
Meaning
adjectivebefore a nounmedicaltechnical
Relating to physical symptoms that have a psychological cause rather than a physical one.
Grammar: Used before a noun, especially in 'somatoform disorder'. It is not usually used after a verb like 'be'.
Patterns
- somatoform disorder
- somatoform symptoms
The doctor diagnosed a somatoform disorder after ruling out physical illness.
Patients with somatoform symptoms often feel real pain despite normal test results.
She studied somatoform conditions in her psychology course.
Common combinations
- somatoform disorder
- Somatoform disorder is listed in the DSM-5.
- somatoform symptoms
- The patient reported somatoform symptoms such as fatigue and headache.
- somatoform pain
- Somatoform pain can be just as distressing as pain from a physical injury.
Synonyms and how they differ
- psychosomatic
- Similar but broader: it describes physical symptoms caused or worsened by psychological factors, not a formal diagnostic category.
Word family
- soma noun
- The body, especially in medical or biological contexts.
- somatic adjective
- Relating to the body, especially as opposed to the mind.
Commonly confused: somatoform or psychosomatic?
somatoform vs psychosomatic
Psychosomatic means physical symptoms caused by mental factors; somatoform is a more specific medical term for a group of disorders.
Practice
The doctor found no physical cause for the patient's pain and suggested it might be a ______ disorder.
Choose one answer.
'Somatoform' is the correct term for a disorder with physical symptoms from psychological causes. 'Somatic' means relating to the body in general. 'Psychosomatic' is close but not the formal diagnostic term. 'Somatoformic' is not a word.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “somatoform”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.