Module 6: Somatic Symptom and Dissociative Disorders

adult psychopathology

what are somatic symptom disorders

disorders with physical symptoms or anxiety over illness, have a psychological cause, and experiencing symptoms

what are 4 somatic symptom and related disorders

• somatic symptom disorder

• illness anxiety disorder

• conversion disorder

• factitious disorder

what are the factors of somatic symptom disorder

• physical symptoms

• extreme concern about health

• occurs for 6 months

• specifiers: predominant pain, somatization pattern

what is somatization pattern

a repeating tendency where someone experiences, expresses, and communicates psychological distress or emotional stress through physical symptoms

what is illness anxiety disorder

• previously called hypochondriasis

• anxiety over undetected physical illness (few if any somatic symptoms)

• cognitively based disorder: catastrophize, overgeneralize, display all or nothing thinking, show selective attention

what is conversion disorder

aka functional neurological symptoms disorder

sensory or motor symptoms

• sudden symptoms

• not related to known physiology

• symptoms related to stress

• not distressed by sudden paralysis (la belle indifference)

what are common symptoms of conversion disorder?

psychogenic movement

• originating from psychological cause

• disturbances of stance and walking

sensory symptoms

• blindness, loss of voice, motor tics, and dizziness

• psychogenic seizures

what are some conversion disorder specifiers?

• weakness or paralysis

• abnormal movement (tremors)

• swallowing symptoms

• speech symptom (slurred speech)

• attacks or seizures

• anesthesia or sensory loss

• special sensory symptom (blindness)

• mixed symptoms

what is common between conversion disorder and somatic symptoms disorder?

• both can occur in response to severe stress

• both have been traiditonally viewed as forms of escape from stress

• people suffer from both types of disorders

• theorists and clinicians often explain and treat the two groups of disorders in similar ways

what is the criteria for Factitious Disorder?

• symptoms of illness that are falsified, induced, created

• presenting self to others as ill, imapired, or inured

• deceptive behavior is evident even in absence of obvious external rewards,

• differs from malingering (faking a disorder to acheive some goal)

what are the factors of factitious disorder imposed on another ?

• creation of symptoms in another person: lying and injury

• Munchausen syndrome by proxy

• perpetrator not victim gets the diagnosis

• victim may be diagnosed with abuse

Munchausen Syndrome

rare psychiatric condition where a person intentionally fakes, exaggerates, or self-induces physical or mental illness

what is the etiology of somatic symptom disorders

what is the diathesis-stress model for somatic disorders?

what is the psychological treatment for somatic symptom disorders?

• mainly focusing on understanding the client’s view regarding problem

• demonstrate empathy

• cognitive-behavioral approaches

• - correct cognitive distortions

• - exposure and response prevention

what is the biological treatment of somatic symptom disorders?

• antidepressants

• increased physical activity is recommended for conversion disorder