Today, somatic disorders are readily affecting a significant percentage of the American population. The group of somatoform disorders have been called the most common psychiatric problems seen by general practice medical professionals.[1] A large scale study of over one thousand patients examined by their general practitioners, reported that 16 percent of patients met the criteria for severe somatoform disorders, and 22 percent could be diagnosed with mild impairment.[1] More telling even was that many of these patients also complained of depression and anxiety. In a further study, approximately 36 percent of hospital patients who met the criteria for any somatoform disorder also had other mental health problems, such as depression and anxiety.[2] Looking internationally, a study in Belgium showed that somatization syndrome ranks as the third highest psychiatric disorder, with a prevalence rate of 8.9%.[3]
So what is a somatoform disorder?
Somatoform disorders are a group of disorders characterized by physical symptoms that might point to a medical disorder. Somatoform disorders are none the less psychiatric conditions because the physical symptoms that appear cannot be fully explained by a medical disorder, substance use, or another mental disorder. Therefore, somatoform disorders often mystify medical providers who must look past the physical complaints, in order to correctly diagnose the disorder.
Continue reading Equine Therapy for Somatic Disorders? by Claire Dorotik
Lexington, KY – The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) will host an open forum for the jumping community on Monday, November 7, 2011, at the Kentucky Horse Park Visitor’s Center’s South Theater.
GEORGETOWN, KY — OCTOBER 31, 2011 — Old Friends, the Thoroughbred Retirement Facility in Georgetown, KY, and its 30 retired Breeders’ Cup stars, invite fans to join them for a special celebration of the 2011 Breeders’ Cup on Sunday, November, 6 at 12 noon.
Lexington, KY – October 31, 2011 — Anticipation and excitement is at an all-time high as the Alltech Arena at The Horse Park in Kentucky receives its final make-over ahead of this week’s Alltech National Horse Show. In five days’ time, a new era in the history of the oldest indoor horse show in the world will begin, and fresh life will be breathed into a story that began over 128 long years ago. But it is its distinguished past that makes this event stand out from the rest – and the tale of the alliance between two remarkable men from opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean whose foresight, drive and ambition had led to an unique, and lasting, link between the USA and England, and to the sporting tradition of both countries.
