ABSTRACT
“Pain is pain” and “suffering is suffering.” When people experience a loss or other significant life stressor, they suffer. When people experience frequent headaches, stomach aches, or chronic fatigue, they suffer. In their suffering they oftentimes seek help for their distressed symptoms, and via medication, counseling, or psychotherapy, these people recover and move on from their painful situations and symptoms. Sometimes, however, relief is not always so clear cut. This is often seen when individuals develop somatic symptoms and are unable to get immediate relief. More often than not individuals seek help via their primary care physician or other medical personnel. They start to react to their symptoms in such a way that little time or space is left for other areas of life. Others, including family, friends, and professionals who are trying to help them, become frustrated and may slowly withdraw their support. These individuals continue to suffer and may begin to feel alienated, at worst, or misunderstood, at best. The individuals in this scenario may in fact be suffering from one of a number of somatic symptom or related disorders as categorized by the DSM-5 (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).
