SOMATOPSYCHIC DISORDERS

A term applied by some psychiatrists to psychological disturbances resulting from bodily disorders.An example is the post-encephalitic syndrome, in which a reaction pattern consisting of impulsiveness, overactivity and lack of restraint follows epidemic encephalitis. Calling this syndrome somatopsychic emphasizes the fact that the somatic or bodily disorder (an inflammation of the brain) is primary and the psychological changes are secondary. The term is sometimes used in contradistinction to “psychosomatic” or “psychophysiologic,” which usually apply to cases in which the emotional maladjustment is the primary factor and the bodily disturbance the result or byproduct. The latter terms are often used to cover both types of disorder. See SOMATOPSYCHOLOGY.