Program Overview

Program Overview

The program focuses on somatic symptom disorders, which are physical complaints without a clear medical cause. These disorders can lead to severe psychological problems for those affected. The program, led by Psychologist Jens Gaab, explores how these disorders can be classified, diagnosed, and treated.

Program Details

The program delves into the complex phenomenon of somatic symptom disorders, examining why individuals experience physical symptoms, the diagnostic criteria for these disorders, and how they can be classified and treated. The program uses a combination of therapeutic session transcripts, scientific articles, and short input videos to convey this information.

Program Structure

The program is structured into several modules, including:

• Symptomatology
• Diagnosis
• Examples
• Explanatory models
• Treatment

Program Content

The program content includes topics such as:

• The first conversation (video, 5 minutes)
• Somatic complaints - our constant companions (text, 3 minutes)
• Physical complaints in literature and music (video, 5 minutes)
• Physical complaints - why do we experience them? (text, 3 minutes)
• What functions do symptoms have? (video, 5 minutes)
• Classification and diagnosis of somatic symptom disorders (text, 20 minutes)
• Somatoform disorders - the time is ripe for a new approach (text, 60 minutes)
• Protocol of the second session (audio, 3 minutes)
• One or many? (text, 5 minutes)
• Functional somatic syndromes (text, 60 minutes)
• How can somatic symptom disorders be explained? (text, 3 minutes)
• Protocol of the third session (audio, 5 minutes)
• Chronic fatigue syndrome (video, 5 minutes)
• A biopsychosocial explanatory model of chronic fatigue syndrome (text, 20 minutes)
• Thought experiment (video, 5 minutes)
• Somatosensory amplification (video, 2 minutes)
• A biological perspective (video, 5 minutes)
• The further course of therapy (text, 10 minutes)
• Psychotherapy for chronic fatigue states (text, 60 minutes)
• Treatment based on the biopsychosocial model (text, 20 minutes)
• Review of therapy (video, 2 minutes)

Program Author

The program is authored by Prof. Dr. Jens Gaab, a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist at the University of Basel.

University

The program is offered by the University of Basel, Faculty of Psychology.