Background:

Somatic symptom and related disorders (SSRD) constitute a clinical challenge in pediatric psychiatry due to the difficulties in their conceptualization, the complexity of their clinical presentation, which also depends on the cultural context, repeated consultations to health services and the predominance of studies in adults.

Objective:

To describe the characteristics of the pediatric inpatients with SSRD in a reference hospital.

Design and methods:

Descriptive cross-sectional study of demographic, clinical variables, and the use of institutional resources, based on the review of medical records of hospitalized patients under 18 years of age with a diagnosis of SSRD evaluated by psychiatry or pediatric psychiatry between 2018 and 2021 at reference pediatric hospital in Medellín, Colombia.

Results:

The clinical records of 83 patients were included. Most patients were female (72%), with a median age of 12 years, anxiety and depression were the most frequent comorbidities (83% and 75%) and also the most frequent disorders in mothers (25% and 26%). The frequency of exposure to stressors in the family setting anytime in life, was high (83%) and required the involvement of multiple medical specialties and therapeutic supports, and the use of varied diagnostic aids.

Conclusions:

Pediatric patients hospitalized with SSRD are generally female adolescents with depression or anxiety, surrounded by adverse family and social contexts that require interdisciplinary care from a comprehensive biopsychosocial model.

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