Pharmacological intervention for somatoform disorders in children and adolescents
Question 9: What is/are the effective and safe interventions to treat somatoform disorders in children and adolescents in non-specialist health settings?
- Population: children and adolescents with somatoform disorders
- Interventions: pharmacologic or non-pharmacologic treatments
- Comparison: care as usual
- Outcomes:
- overall performance at school and family
- adverse effects of treatment
- symptom reduction
- user and family satisfaction
- improvement in physical health
- reduction in risk behaviour.
Recommendation(s)
Pharmacological interventions to treat somatoform disorders in children and adolescents should not be considered by non-specialized health care providers.
Strength of recommendation: STANDARD
Brief psychological interventions, including cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) should be considered to treat somatoform disorders in children, if adequate training and supervision by specialists can be made available.
Strength of recommendation: STANDARD
Active consultation with a mental health specialist should be considered in managing these conditions, when possible.
Strength of recommendation: STANDARD