Mental or Behavioral Dysfunction
somatization Audio
so·mat·i·za·tion
Etymology:
Greek soma = the body
This word, formed from the adjective somatic, denotes conversion of anxiety into visceral symptoms.
Definitions related to somatization:
  • Bodily symptoms that have no clear physical cause or are out of proportion to a given ailment, and may stem from psychological causes.
    Harvard Dictionary of Health Terms
    Harvard Medical Publishing, 2011
  • The conversion of mental experiences or states into physical symptoms.
    NCI
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
  • Somatization is the expression of mental phenomena as physical (somatic) symptoms. Disorders characterized by somatization extend in a continuum from those in which symptoms develop unconsciously and nonvolitionally to those in which symptoms develop consciously and volitionally.
    Merck Manuals
    Merck & Co., Inc., 2025
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This content should not be used in place of medically-reviewed decision support reference material or professional medical advice. Some terms may have alternate or updated definitions not reflected in this set. The definitions on this page should not be considered complete or up to date.