Assessment of personality functioning in psychosomatic medicine

Abstract

Summary Background Personality functioning, also referred to as structural integration, describes basic emotion-related perception and regulation capacities directed towards the self and others. Patients with impairments of personality functioning experience difficulties in self-regulation and interpersonal relations. Although personality functioning has become increasingly important in psychotherapeutic and psychiatric diagnoses and treatment planning, there is little systematic evidence on the role of personality functioning in patients with chronic and somatic diseases. This article reviews empirical studies using standardized assessments of personality functioning in patients with chronic and somatic diseases and discusses the role of personality structure in psychosomatic medicine. Results Currently, there are only a limited number of studies using standardized assessments of personality functioning in patients with chronic or somatic diseases. The available evidence points to correlations of personality functioning with pain perception and the development of chronic pain. In addition, patients with lower levels of personality functioning may have difficulties in managing chronic conditions that require enduring changes in health behavior, such as in diabetes or posttransplantation therapy. Conclusion The review suggests a systematic link between personality functioning and health behavior in patients with chronic diseases that relate to self-regulation and coping strategies. These findings underline the importance of assessing personality functioning for diagnostics and treatment planning in psychosomatic medicine. Finally, an assessment of personality functioning could be helpful in choosing specific psychotherapeutic treatment strategies; however, more empirical studies are needed to comprehensively prove these assumptions.

Psychosomatic Disorders Issue: A Lecture

“…Многие пациенты на обычные раздражители реагируют как на чрезвычайные, например, осторожный стук в дверь заставляет их вздрагивать («точно бьют молотком по голове»), громко произнесенное слово вызывает головную боль и звон в ушах, жужжание мухи может доводить до исступления и т. д. [1,16,17].…”

“…Возможна примесь слизи к фекалиям или даже выделение ее в виде клочьев, пленок. Иногда наблюдается проктомиксорея -приступообразное выделение слизи из прямой кишки [3,12,17,20,25].…”

Practical implications of ICD-11 personality disorder classifications

“…These disorders impose noticeable clinical, familial, and societal burdens [2,3]. Moreover, PDs have high comorbidity with other mental disorders, influencing outcomes [4,5], and they increase the treatment difficulties of chronic psychosomatic disorders [6]. The life expectancy for patients with PDs and comorbid depression is at least 1.5 years shorter for men have adversely impacted the provision of healthcare services [15].…”

Beyond Biology: The Personality Underpinnings of Chronic Pain

“…Personality traits, particularly those aligned with the Big Five (openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism), have been identified as pivotal factors in the perception and modulation of pain (Wagner-Skacel et al, 2022). For instance, neuroticism has been associated with heightened pain perception and poorer pain outcomes, likely due to a predisposition towards negative affectivity (Frumkin & Rodebaugh, 2021).…”