Transcultural Psychiatry

 

Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

Click here to sign up for SAGE Journal Email Alerts today!

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow References
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Jomoore, L.
Right arrow Articles by Robinson, E.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by Jomoore, L.
Right arrow Articles by Robinson, E.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati  
What's this?
Transcultural Psychiatry, Vol. 38, No. 4, 481-505 (2001)
DOI: 10.1177/136346150103800407

Rheumatological Disorders and Somatization in U.S. Mien and Lao Refugees with Depression and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Cross-Cultural Comparison

Laurie Jomoore

University of Auckland

Dan Sager

Kham-One Keopraseuth

Loo Hang Chao

Chris Riley

Oregon Health Sciences University

Elizabeth Robinson

University of Auckland

We report a study comparing presenting symptoms and medical diagnoses of Mien and Lao refugees seen at a specialized psychiatric referral programme in Oregon. Rheumatological assessment in Mien and Lao refugees suffering from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder revealed similar prevalence rates of pain, rheumatologic disorders and somatization despite different initial clinical presentations. Of 89 patients seen in out-patient clinics, 95% had chronic pain, 88% had rheumatological diagnoses and 53% had medically unexplained pain. Although this was a selected sample, our results support the notion that physical pain complaints in psychiatric patients contribute to psychopathology and deserve careful evaluation. Culture strongly affected presentation and this study supports the identification of a Mien Somatic Complaint Syndrome.

Key Words: fibromyalgia • Lao • Mien • refugees • somatization


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?