Neurocognitive functioning in women presenting with undifferentiated somatoform disorders in Oman

• Published in: Psychiatry and clinical neurosciences 2010-10, Vol.64 (5), p.555-564
• Main Authors: Al‐Adawi, Samir, Al‐Zakwani, Ibrahim, Obeid, Yousif A., Zaidan, Ziad
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Affect - physiology; Anxiety; Anxiety - psychology; Arab; Attention; Attention - physiology; Biological and medical sciences; Cognition; Cognition - physiology; Cognition Disorders - etiology; Cognition Disorders - psychology; Cognitive ability; Cohort Studies; cross‐cultural; Depression - psychology; Executive function; Executive Function - physiology; Female; Humans; Medical sciences; Memory, Short-Term - physiology; Mental Processes; Middle Aged; Mood; neurocognitive functioning; Neuropsychological Tests; Oman; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Short term memory; Sleep; Sleep Wake Disorders - psychology; Somatoform disorders; Somatoform Disorders - complications; Somatoform Disorders - diagnosis; Somatoform Disorders - psychology; Somatoform disorders. Psychosomatics; unidentifiable physical illnesses; Verbal Behavior - physiology; Wounds and Injuries - psychology; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1323-1316; 1440-1819
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1440-1819.2010.02117.x

Aim:  There is a dearth of research from non‐Western populations focusing on neurocognitive functioning in patients presenting with undifferentiated somatoform disorders. The aim of the present quest is to examine the presence of cognitive impairment and other health‐related parameters among attendees at psychiatric settings in Oman, an Arab/Islamic country, with a diagnosis of undifferentiated somatoform disorder. Method:  In order to compare the performance of patients diagnosed with undifferentiated somatoform disorder (n = 20) and normal healthy subjects (n = 18) on indices of attention and concentration, tests of executive functioning, mood, somatization and vegetative functioning were carried out. Results:  The performance of patients with undifferentiated somatoform disorder differed from that of normal healthy subjects on the presently operationalized indices of working memory and executive functioning, anxiety, quality of sleep and psychosomatically expressed psychological distress. Conclusion:  To our knowledge, this is the first study highlighting neurocognitive functioning in patients with undifferentiated somatoform disorders from a non‐Western population. This type of study has the potential of shedding light on the covariates of such a debilitating and intransigent condition as undifferentiated somatoform disorder.