Medically Unexplained Physical Symptoms Masking (Cenesthopathic) Schizophrenia: A Case Series

The authors present a case series involving four patients who were referred to a specialized somatoform disorders clinic because of chronic medically unexplained physical complaints. The patients were eventually diagnosed with cenesthopathic schizophrenia, a term that has been proposed for a type of schizophrenia in which tactile hallucinations and delusional somatosensory beliefs are prominent. Two of the four had definite responses to antipsychotic medication. All of the patients were immigrants to the United Kingdom, and cultural and language barriers were likely factors in delayed diagnoses.