Somatization refers to the persistence of multiple physical complaints that cannot be attributed to a medical illness. Increasing evidence suggests that activation of the proinflammatory cytokine network can lead to a constellation of behaviors, "sickness behavior," which might underlie the pathophysiology of certain psychiatric disorders. In particular, depressive disorders, as well as somatoform disorders, share many components of "sickness behavior," including alterations in pain sensitivity such as exaggerated pain response (hyperalgesia), sleep disturbance, and fatigue.
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