Causes of Somatic Symptom Disorder: Risk Factors, Triggers, & Coping Strategies
When the body experiences pain, fatigue, or other physical discomforts, it’s natural to feel concerned. But for some, these symptoms become the center of constant worry, overshadowing daily life and creating a cycle of stress and fear.
If you can relate to this experience, you may have a condition known as “somatic symptom disorder” (SSD). This condition is identified not only by physical symptoms, but also by the intensity of the thoughts, emotions, and behaviors tied to them.
People often find somatic symptom disorder distressing, and experts have not yet fully understood its causes. If physical and mental symptoms are disrupting your day-to-day life, a mental health professional can help you get to the root of their causes and figure out routes toward recovery.
This page can also work as a helpful guide to better understanding the causes of somatic symptom disorder, as it discusses:
- Ways of understanding SSD
- Potential risk factors and causes of somatic symptom disorder
- What may trigger somatic symptoms
- Coping strategies to build resilience
- Where to find professional support for somatic symptom disorder
- Answers to common questions about SSD and its causes
What Is Somatic Symptom Disorder?
Somatic symptom disorder (SSD) is a mental health condition where someone experiences excessive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors around physical conditions like pain, dizziness, or stomach issues. Plus, medical conditions may or may not explain such physical issues. However, the main feature of SSD is the persistent fear and anxiety about physical problems, as well as the excessive time spent on behaviors surrounding the condition.1
Providers typically use the following process to diagnose somatic symptom disorder:
- Considering whether there is one or more physical conditions that are distressing and impacting daily life
- Looking at whether thoughts, feelings, and behaviors about the physical condition result in one of the following:
- Continued thoughts that are disproportionate to the seriousness of the symptoms
- Ongoing high levels of anxiety about health or symptoms.
- Spending a lot of time or energy on the symptoms or health concerns
- Detecting if at least one symptom is always present, although different symptoms may come and go
It may be good to note that people with somatic symptom disorder might have difficulty accepting that their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are excessive. Therefore, they may continue to worry even when provided with evidence that there is nothing to worry about.
Signs and Symptoms of SSD
Somatic symptom disorder symptoms can vary from person to person, as everyone’s situation and circumstances are unique. However, there are some common threads that have been noted in people with SSD.
For instance, if you have SSD, you might experience signs like:
- Feeling concerned that even mild symptoms are signs of a serious condition
- Going to the doctor for multiple exams and diagnostic tests, but not believing the results
- Bouncing from one medical provider to the next or seeking treatment from multiple providers at the same time
- Spending an extreme amount of time and energy trying to manage your symptoms
- Having trouble functioning in your day-to-day life because of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors about physical symptoms
Additionally, since somatic symptom disorder is so distressing, around 30% to 60% of people with it also have anxiety, depression, or both.2 It may also be that the presence of these conditions contributed to the symptoms of SSD in the first place.
Risk Factors and Causes of Somatic Symptom Disorder
Psychosomatic illness causes may still not be fully understood, but this doesn’t mean there aren’t risk factors. In fact, somatic disorder research shows that there may be multiple factors that contribute to somatic symptom disorder development.
The following are some of the risk factors that may cause SSD:
Biological Factors
Some people have somatic symptom vulnerability caused by a natural sensitivity to pain or bodily sensations. This vulnerability can make them more likely to notice discomfort that others might overlook.3
Genetics and somatic illness can also go hand in hand, as certain traits related to anxiety, mood, and pain perception can be inherited.4 Additionally, ongoing changes to the nervous system, like difficulty calming down after stress, can contribute to SSD. In other words, stress and somatic disorders can make physical symptoms feel more intense and harder to ignore.
Psychological Factors
A history of anxiety, depression, or trauma can increase vulnerability to SSD. These psychological causes may lead to a heightened tendency to focus on bodily sensations or assume the worst about what those sensations mean. Also, studies show that difficulties identifying, understanding, or expressing emotions (called alexithymia) might contribute to the development of somatic symptom disorder.5
Environmental and Social Factors
Daily life stressors typically play a powerful role in the development of SSD. For example, financial strain, caregiving responsibilities, or unstable relationships can leave little room for emotional recovery, making the body’s distress signals harder to manage.
Cultural or family beliefs around illness can also influence how symptoms are perceived and expressed. Therefore, in some environments, physical symptoms may be the most accepted or accessible way to communicate emotional pain, which can reinforce the cycle of distress.
Somatic Disorder Triggers and How They Manifest
Just because you might have some risk factors for somatic symptom disorder does not mean you’ll develop it. In fact, sometimes SSD takes a combination of risk factors to present itself, like a mental health predisposition with certain environmental triggers.
These triggers don’t always look dramatic; they can be as subtle as a stressful conversation or a change in daily routine. However, recognizing what tends to set symptoms off can be an important step in mental wellness awareness.
The following are some common somatic disorder triggers:
Emotional or Stressful Events
Life transitions, relationship conflicts, or ongoing stress at work can heighten physical symptoms. For example, an argument with a loved one might lead to stomach upset or chest tightness, which can then fuel the worry that something more serious is happening.
Physical Stressors or Illness
Even minor illnesses or conditions, like a cold or pulled muscle, can act as triggers. For people with SSD, these experiences can lead to them checking or monitoring their body more often and increase fears that discomfort signals a more severe problem.
Memory, Media, and Messaging
Being exposed to health-related stories, whether through the news, social media, or personal experiences, can also intensify somatic symptoms. For instance, a friend’s illness may lead you to examine your own body more closely and notice sensations that you might otherwise have ignored.
Immediate Environmental Triggers
Your surroundings can also play a role as a trigger. Overly noisy, chaotic, or stressful environments may keep your nervous system on high alert, making physical sensations harder to regulate. Similarly, environments that lack stability, such as unsafe neighborhoods or unpredictable home settings, can make you more hypervigilant about health and safety.
Coping Strategies That Build Resilience
While SSD can be overwhelming, there are coping strategies that can help you focus less on eliminating the physical symptoms and more on shifting the cycle of worry and distress. Coping strategies that might help you manage the distressing thoughts, feelings, and behaviors include:
Therapies
Evidence-based therapies can provide tools for identifying and reframing unhelpful thought patterns, as well as regulating emotions. These include:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): CBT can help you identify unhelpful thoughts and replace them with more balanced perspectives.6 For example, thoughts around having a headache might shift from Something is really wrong to I might just be stressed, and this is temporary.
- Mindfulness and somatic practices: Practices such as deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, and body scans encourage a non-judgmental awareness of thoughts and feelings rather than jumping straight into being fearful of physical sensations.
- Trauma-focused therapy: Trauma-informed approaches can help when physical and emotional symptoms arise from unprocessed distressing experiences. A therapist guides you through these experiences in ways that avoid retraumatization, allowing you to pinpoint causes of distress and release them in healthy ways.
Lifestyle and Self-Care
Having a consistent and structured routine can help you manage symptoms, as it can provide a sense of predictability when everything else seems chaotic. For instance, you could try:
- Engaging in gentle movement like walking, stretching, or yoga to ease tension while building trust in your body’s strength.
- Journaling and reflection to help you track patterns between stress, triggers, and symptoms, and offer clarity and reduce the sense of unpredictability.
- Creative outlets and hobbies that can shift your attention away from symptoms and toward fulfilling experiences.
Building social support
Isolation often magnifies distress, while social support can provide reassurance. You could build your social network by:
- Attending group therapy or support groups, as these may provide a safe environment to share experiences and learn coping tools from other people who are facing similar challenges.
- Engaging in family education to help loved ones respond with empathy instead of frustration, which may strengthen the support system at home.
Sometimes somatic symptoms become so persistent or distressing that extra support might be needed. This may include more structured treatment like intensive outpatient programs, medication management, or residential care. Seeking additional support is not a sign of failure – it’s a proactive step toward greater wellness.
Mission Connection: Professional Support for Moving Past Somatic Symptoms
Living with somatic symptom disorder can be exhausting, but it doesn’t have to define your future. The symptoms you feel are real, and so is the distress they cause. However, with the right support, it’s possible to loosen their grip and create more space for joy, peace, and balance.
At Mission Connection, we understand how discouraging it can be when physical symptoms seem to overshadow everything else. Our approach combines evidence-based therapies, group support, and personalized care to help you not only manage the symptoms but also rebuild confidence in your body and mind. Healing is not about ignoring your experiences – it’s about learning to relate to them differently, so they no longer control your daily life.
If you or someone you love is struggling with the challenges of somatic symptom disorder, know that reaching out for help is a courageous first step. Mission Connection is here to provide the guidance, skills, and compassionate support you need to move forward with strength, resilience, and hope.
Frequently Asked Questions About Somatic Symptom Disorder
While we hope that this guide provided the information you need to know about SSD, you may still have some concerns or questions about the condition. This is natural, so we’ve provided some answers to FAQs about somatic symptom disorder to help.
Is There a Cure for Somatic Symptom Disorder?
There isn’t a single “cure” for SSD, but many people see significant improvement with the right treatment and support. Therapy, lifestyle changes, and skills for managing stress can reduce the cycle of worry and help symptoms feel less overwhelming. Plus, in many cases, people go on to lead balanced, fulfilling lives even if some symptoms remain present.
How Is Somatic Symptom Disorder Diagnosed?
A qualified mental health professional makes the diagnosis based on criteria in the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). The process usually involves a comprehensive evaluation, including a review of symptoms, medical history, and how much distress the symptoms cause.
How Can Mission Connection Help Someone Struggling With SSD?
Mission Connection provides a compassionate, personalized approach that integrates individual therapy, group support, and psychiatric care when needed. Our team helps clients identify triggers, develop practical coping strategies, and build resilience so they can move forward with less fear and more confidence.
References
- American Psychiatric Association. (2024, July). What is somatic symptom disorder? In Patients & Families: Somatic Symptom Disorder. Psychiatry.org. Retrieved September 10, 2025, from https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/somatic-symptom-disorder/what-is-somatic-symptom-disorder#:~:text=Excessive%20thoughts%2C%20feelings%20or%20behaviors%20related%20to,level%20of%20anxiety%20about%20health%20or%20symptoms
- Cleveland Clinic. (2022, May 17). Somatic symptom disorder in adults. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17976-somatic-symptom-disorder-in-adults
- Kurlansik, S. L., & Maffei, M. S. (2016, January 1). Somatic symptom disorder. American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2016/0101/p49.html#afp20160101p49-b9
- Kato, K., Sullivan, P. F., & Pedersen, N. L. (2010). Latent class analysis of functional somatic symptoms in a population-based sample of twins. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 68(5), 447–453. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2010.01.010
- Smakowski, A., Hüsing, P., Völcker, S., Löwe, B., Rosmalen, J. G., Shedden-Mora, M., & Toussaint, A. (2024). Psychological risk factors of somatic symptom disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis of cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 181, 111608. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2024.111608
- Orzechowska, A., Maruszewska, P., & Gałecki, P. (2021). Cognitive behavioral therapy of patients with somatic symptoms—Diagnostic and therapeutic difficulties. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 10(14), 3159. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm10143159