Condition · Texas
Somatic Symptom Disorder Care in Texas
Somatic symptom disorder involves one or more distressing physical symptoms accompanied by disproportionate thoughts, anxiety, or time devoted to them, lasting six months or more. The symptoms are real. The diagnosis does not require them to be medically unexplained.
Clinically reviewed by Dr. Akinwande Akintola, MD · Last reviewed July 2026 · Next review January 2027
Understanding somatic symptom disorder
The modern diagnosis deliberately dropped the requirement that symptoms be unexplained. Someone with diabetes, migraine, or a genuine injury can meet criteria if the associated distress and preoccupation are disproportionate and dominating.
This matters because the older framing taught patients that a psychiatric referral meant they were being called liars. The symptom is not in question; the treatment target is the distress and disability built around it.
Treatment aims at function first. Rather than pursuing symptom elimination through further investigation, the plan rebuilds activity, sleep, and pacing while reducing the time and fear the symptoms consume.
Symptoms and when to seek an evaluation
- One or more persistent physical symptoms that are distressing
- Disproportionate and persistent thoughts about their seriousness
- Persistently high anxiety about health or symptoms
- Excessive time and energy devoted to symptoms
- Repeated medical visits with inconclusive results
- Reduced activity and function built around the symptoms
Seek an evaluation when these symptoms have lasted for weeks, are getting worse, or are affecting your work, sleep, or relationships. If you are thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988 now.
What your first visit involves
- Full symptom history and what medical evaluation has already been completed
- Distress, preoccupation, and time spent, which are the diagnostic features
- Function review: what has been given up because of the symptoms
- Screening for depression, anxiety, trauma, and substance use
First appointments run longer than follow-ups so there is time to take a full history. You leave with a working diagnosis, a plan, and a follow-up date rather than a prescription and no explanation.
Therapy, psychiatry, and combined care
- CBT focused on symptom-related distress and gradual return to activity
- Pacing and activity scheduling instead of boom-and-bust patterns
- Treatment of co-occurring depression and anxiety, which amplify symptom burden
- A single coordinated medical plan with your primary care provider, limiting duplicated testing
- Explicit function goals so progress is not measured only by symptom intensity
Therapy and psychiatry are delivered in-house by clinicians licensed in Texas and share one chart, so a prescriber and a therapist working with you are looking at the same notes. Many people do best with both.
What we do not treat here
- Lyte does not perform physical examinations, imaging, or laboratory testing
- We do not diagnose or manage underlying medical conditions
- Pain procedures, physiotherapy, and rehabilitation are provided elsewhere
Care options at Lyte
Clinicians who provide this care
Insurance and cost
Lyte is in network with several Texas plans, and coverage depends on your specific plan and benefits. We verify your benefits before the first visit so you know your expected cost in advance. See which plans we accept.
Frequently asked questions
Are you telling me my symptoms are not real?
No. The diagnosis explicitly does not require symptoms to be unexplained, and it applies whether or not a medical condition is present. What is being treated is the distress, preoccupation, and loss of function built around the symptoms.
Do I need more tests first?
That is your medical provider's call, not ours. What we can say is that repeated duplicate testing tends to increase anxiety without changing outcomes, so we work with your provider on one coordinated plan.
What does treatment actually change?
Usually function first: activity, sleep, pacing, and the amount of the day the symptoms consume. Symptom intensity often follows, but improvement is not measured by symptom intensity alone.
Can I have a real medical condition and this diagnosis?
Yes. They frequently coexist. The diagnosis describes the disproportionate distress and preoccupation, not the absence of physical illness.
Related conditions
- Illness Anxiety Disorder: fear of illness without prominent symptomsThe presence or absence of significant physical symptoms separates the two diagnoses.
- Chronic Pain & Mental Health: living with long-term painChronic pain and somatic distress overlap and share treatment strategies.
- Depression: depression that presents physicallyDepression frequently presents as fatigue and pain, particularly where somatic idioms are the norm.
- Trauma: trauma held in the bodyTrauma histories are common in people with persistent somatic symptoms.
This page is for general education and is not medical advice or a substitute for care from your own clinician. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 (the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), and for a medical emergency call 911.
Book an assessment for symptom-related distress
Lyte Psychiatry sees patients by secure telehealth across Texas and in person at our Pantego clinic in the Dallas–Fort Worth area.
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