Consultation-Liaison Case Conference: Medically Unexplained Behaviors and Symptoms in Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry: Biopsychosocial and Psychodynamic Considerations

Abstract

Medically unexplained behaviors and symptoms are challenging for patients, families, and clinicians alike. They demand consideration of more than biological determinants, warranting biopsychosocial assessment as well as psychodynamic formulation. Here we present a case of an 80-year-old woman with a history of multiple oropharyngeal traumas who presented to the emergency department for a recently developed acute anorexia associated with fear of choking (phagophobia). She presented with complex psychological dimensions, such as survivor guilt related to losing her spouse to gastroesophageal cancer. Through a psychodynamic and biopsychosocial lens, we discuss how her predisposing developmental history of trauma and fear responses; perpetuating gastrointestinal issues, unresolved grief, and survivor guilt; and more recent age-related neurocognitive changes inform her presentation and response to treatment. Future directions include broader application of biopsychosocial assessments and psychodynamic formulations to medically unexplained behaviors and symptoms, with a special emphasis on education of trainees.