ABSTRACT
Somatic symptoms such as pain, fatigue, nausea, headache, dizziness, and insomnia are common complaints among people seen in palliative care settings. Studies of somatization per se often operationalize somatization simply as a count of somatic symptoms endorsed, with the presumption that somatic symptoms reflect the expression or communication of emotional distress or other psychological factors. This presumption ignores the bidirectional influences of somatic and psychosocial processes and the possibility of shared underlying mechanisms in symptom clusters. Patients receiving palliative care typically have a high symptom burden, with a median of 14 symptoms occurring simultaneously. Regarding pain, theories of pain provide some insight into the potential mechanisms involved in pain perception. The chapter highlights the multifaceted and interrelated nature of pain and other physical and psychological complaints. In the treatment of pain, multidisciplinary teams often include professionals from pain medicine, palliative care, psychology, social work, and nursing.
