http://www.psychosomatika-cls.cz/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Newsletter_EAPM_December_2016.pdf
EAMP Newsletter 2016
4. Scientific initiatives:
EAPM supports European COST Action Initiative
Bernd Löwe
Bodily Distress Syndromes including Somatic Symptom Disorders, Somatoform Disorders, Somatization Disorders, Medically Unexplained Symptoms or Functional Disorders are serious, complex and common medical problems of unknown aetiology and pathogenesis. Low recognition rates and long durations of untreated illness contribute to severe impairments in quality of life and high rates of chronic courses. To date, there is no agreement on medical guidelines throughout Europe, in some countries there are no guidelines or specialized treatment options at all. Current treatment is primarily symptom-oriented and based on medication which proved to have a modest effect on the symptoms. The health care costs associated with Bodily Distress Syndromes are comparable to depressive and anxiety disorders.
Research efforts in the field of Bodily Distress Syndromes are currently fragmented and scattered across Europe. A common European research agenda and the inclusion of underrepresented European countries is urgently needed.
The EURONET-SOMA initiative – a nationally funded conference series on two occasions in 2016 initiated by Bernd Löwe and his team from Hamburg, Germany - was an important first step to bring together leading experts in the field to provide the necessary framework for a European network. An expert panel of 29 experienced researchers from 9 European countries (the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Latvia, Belgium, United Kingdom, Germany, and Russia) presented their recent research projects and state-of-the-art clinical procedures. The EURONET-SOMA participants agreed to jointly apply for a COST Action.
The main aim of the proposed COST Action will be the establishment of a sustainable integrated network of researchers in Europe working in the field of Bodily Distress Syndromes. The network will tackle persisting research challenges arising from a lack of known aetiology and common understanding of Bodily Distress Syndromes, from deficits in diagnostic and treatment processes and high associated socio-economic costs. The network aims to foster a multidisciplinary and multinational pan-European network of research experts, clinicians, patients and policy makers. The EAPM strongly supports this initiative. Requests for further information may be directed to Isabel Winter, Administrator of the EAPM,
contact@eapm.eu.com.
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http://www.rug.nl/research/portal/activities/euronetsoma(e42b9a9c-15b7-4611-aaaf-3fda851bf93f).html
EURONET-SOMA
Conference participation › Participation in conference
Judith Rosmalen - Speaker, 3-Nov-2016
Update Summerschool and MOOC
Conference Title EURONET-SOMA
Period 02/11/2016 → 04/11/2016
City Hamburg
Country Germany
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Full paper can be requested via ResearchGate
In Press
J Psychosom Res. 2017 Apr 7. pii: S0022-3999(17)30384-7. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2017.04.003. [Epub ahead of print]
https://www.researchgate.net/public..._report_of_the_EURONET-SOMA_conference_series
Weigel A1,
Hüsing P1,
Kohlmann S1,
Lehmann M1,
Shedden-Mora M1,
Toussaint A1,
Löwe B2;
EURONET-SOMA Group.
A European research network to improve diagnosis, treatment and care for patients with persistent somatic symptoms: Work report of the EURONET-SOMA conference series
(...)
"...Practitioners in psychosomatic medicine are faced with the new diagnosis of “Somatic Symptom Disorder” in DSM-5 [8] and the suggested “Bodily Distress Disorder” in ICD-11 [9,10] which both no longer exclude the existence of underlying medical conditions."
"EURONET-SOMA successfully brought leading European experts in the field of persistent somatic symptoms together."
"Suggestions to face this challenge included to synthesize current conceptual models, definitions and etiology models and to develop recommendations for further interdisciplinary and multi-method research. Furthermore, there was consent between the EURONET-SOMA experts about the urgent need for a common and interdisciplinary agreement on the diagnostic classification for persistent somatic symptoms. This includes a consent on practical, valid, and comparable measures to assess persistent somatic symptom diagnosis and severity across European countries as well as recommendations for core outcome domains for clinical trials on persistent somatic symptoms. From a treatment perspective prevention programs, personalized and targeted treatment programs as well as online and public health interventions are promising approaches but still in their infancies. It is a challenge to identify key risk and protective factors for the development and chronic manifestation of somatic symptoms as well as barriers to early treatment."
"We believe that EURONETSOMA was an important first step and has the potential to further contribute to a common understanding of the terminology, conceptualization and management of persistent somatic symptoms as well as to obtain a fundamental etiological knowledge about the issue to increase the effectiveness of preventive approaches and early treatment interventions. In the long run, we hope to transfer knowledge regarding persistent somatic symptoms between different medical disciplines and clinical psychology as well as from research into clinical practice and make diagnostic procedures, treatment solutions and outcomes comparable across Europe. Thereby, we hope to prevent patients from iatrogenic harm due to unnecessary examinations and provide them with appropriate health care."
(...)
Participants of the EURONET-SOMA Group in alphabetical order
Gunta Ancane, Marie Bendix, Manfred Beutel, Chris Burton, Francis Creed, Paul Enck, Per Fink, Lisbeth Frostholm, Harald Gündel, Peter Henningsen, Paul Hüsing, Chris Kenedi, Ksenya Khohlova, Maria Kleinstäuber, Sebastian Kohlmann, Willem J. Kop, Claas Lahmann, Marco Lehmann, Bernd Löwe, Ulrik Malt, Krzysztof Małyszczak, Alexandra Martin, Nadine Pohontsch, Winfried Rief, Judith Rosmalen, Joanna Rymaszewska, Heribert Sattel, Andreas Schröder
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References to MUS, PPS and IAPT service provision, conferences, reports and papers are collated in this thread:
http://forums.phoenixrising.me/inde...ary-care-whats-happening-across-the-uk.48710/
MUS, PPS services and integration into NHS primary care - what's happening across the UK?
