Investigation of Mental Health in Patients with Medically Unexplained Physical Symptoms‎.

OBJECTIVE: Medically unexplained symptoms are physical symptoms, which cannot be explained by organic ‎causes. This study aimed to investigate mental health in patients with medically unexplained ‎physical symptoms. ‎

METHOD: One hundred outpatients who were admitted to the Electro Diagnosis Clinic of Imam Khomeini ‎hospital, Ahvaz/Iran, participated in this study. Data were collected using physical examination, ‎paraclinical examinations, and SCL-90-R, and analyzed through multivariate analysis of variance ‎‎ (MANOVA), Chi-square test and Fisher's exact test. ‎

RESULTS: The findings revealed significant differences between clients with medically explained and ‎unexplained symptoms in obsessive compulsive and somatization (p<0.05). Differences in ‎depression, anxiety, phobia, psychosis, aggression and paranoia were not significant (p>0.05).‎

CONCLUSION: The present study suggested an association between some psychological problems and somatic ‎symptoms. Therefore, screening for psychological impairments can improve clinical outcomes.‎.