Lesson 5 - Somatoform Disorders

What is “Soma”?

• Soma is the Greek word for body. 

• Somatoform is a physical disorder of the physical form.

What are Somatic symptom disorders?

They are a group of conditions that involve physical symptoms combined with abnormal thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in response to those symptoms.

What are the 9 different systems of the body caused by Somatoform Disorders?

1. ENT System 

2. Respiratory System 

3. Digestive System 

4. Circulatory System 

5. Nerve System 

6. Excretory System 

7. Muscle System 

8. Skeletal System 

9. Skin

What are four types of Somatoform Disorders?

• Somatic Symptom Disorder 

• Illness Anxiety Disorder 

• Conversion Disorder 

• Factitious Disorder

What are the symptoms for Somatic Symptom Disorder?

1. One or more somatic symptoms that are distressing or result in significant disruption of daily life. 

2. Excessive thoughts, feelings, or behaviours related to the somatic symptoms or associated health concerns

3. Symptoms don’t need to be consistent but they need to be persistent for at least 6 months

What can be the excessive thoughts, feelings, or behaviours related to the somatic symptoms or associated health concerns?

1. Disproportionate and persistent thoughts about the seriousness of one’s symptoms. 

2. Persistently high level of anxiety about health or symptoms. 

3. Excessive time and energy are devoted to these symptoms or health concerns.

What is Illness Anxiety Disorder?

Formerly known as Hypochondriasis is a mental health condition characterized by excessive worry about having or developing a serious illness, despite little or no medical evidence.

What are the symptoms for Illness Anxiety Disorder?

1. Preoccupation with having or acquiring a serious illness. 

2. Somatic symptoms are not present or, if present, are only mild in intensity.

3. The individual performs excessive health related behaviors or exhibits maladaptive avoidance

4. Illness preoccupation has been present for at least 6 months, but the specific illness that is feared may change over that period of time.

What is Conversion Disorder?

Also known as Functional Neurological Symptom Disorder is a mental health condition where a person experiences neurological symptoms (e.g., paralysis, blindness, seizures, or difficulty speaking) that cannot be explained by medical conditions.

What are the symptoms for Conversion Disorder?

1. The patient has symptoms or deficits affecting the senses or motor behaviour that strongly suggest a medical or neurological condition.

2. However, the pattern of symptoms or deficits is inconsistent with any neurological disease or medical problem.

What is the range of Conversion Disorder Symptoms?

1. Sensory 

2. Motor 

3. Seizures 

4. A mixed presentation of the first three categories

What is the criteria for Conversion Disorder (Functional Neurological Disorder)?

1. One or more symptoms of altered voluntary motor or sensory function. 

2. Clinical findings provide evidence of incompatibility between the symptom and recognized neurological or medical conditions. 

3. The symptom or condition leads to significant distress or difficulty in social, work, or other important aspects of life, or requires medical assessment.

What is Factitious Disorder?

It is a mental health condition where a person deliberately fakes, exaggerates, or induces illness in themselves or others to gain medical attention, sympathy, or care, without an obvious external reward.

What are the types of factitious disorders imposed on self?

1. Falsification of physical or psychological signs or symptoms, or induction of injury or disease, associated with identified deception. 

2. The individual presents himself or herself to others as ill, impaired, or injured. 

3. The deceptive behavior is evident even in the absence of obvious external rewards. 

4. The behavior is not better explained by another mental disorder, such as delusional disorder or another psychotic disorder.

What are Dissociative Disorders?

Dissociative disorders are a group of conditions involving disruptions in a person’s normally integrated functions of consciousness, memory, identity, or perception. 

What are the three types of dissociative disorders?

• Depersonalization / Derealization Disorder 

• Dissociative Amnesia 

• Dissociative Identity Disorder

What are two of the more common kinds of dissociative symptoms?

Derealization and Depersonalization. 

What is Depersonalization / Derealization Disorder?

In this disorder, people have persistent or recurrent experiences of feeling detached from (and like an outside observer of) their own bodies and mental processes. They may even feel they are, for a time, floating above their physical bodies, which may suddenly feel very different—as if drastically changed or unreal.

What happens in derealization?

One’s sense of the reality of the outside world is temporarily lost

What happens in depersonalization?

One’s sense of one’s own self and one’s own reality is temporarily lost.

What is the criteria for Depersonalization/ Derealization Disorder?

• The presence of persistent or recurrent experiences of depersonalization, derealization, or both

• The symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning. 

What is Dissociative Amnesia?

It is a condition where a person experiences memory loss for important personal information, usually related to trauma or stress, that cannot be explained by ordinary forgetfulness or a medical condition.

What are the symptoms of Dissociative Amnesia?

1. An inability to recall important autobiographical information, usually of a traumatic or stressful nature, that is inconsistent with ordinary forgetting.

 Note: Dissociative amnesia most often consists of localized or selective amnesia for a specific event or events; or generalized amnesia for identity and life history. 

2. The symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning. 

What is Dissociative Identity Disorder?

Formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder, is a mental health condition where a person develops two or more distinct identities or personality states that take control of their behavior at different times.

What are the symptoms of Dissociative Identity Disorder?

1. Disruption of identity characterized by two or more distinct personality states, which may be described in some cultures as an experience of possession. The disruption in identity involves marked discontinuity in sense of self and sense of agency, accompanied by related alterations in affect, behavior, consciousness, memory, perception, cognition, and/or sensory motor functioning. These signs and symptoms may be observed by others or reported by the individual. 

2. Recurrent gaps in the recall of everyday events, important personal information, and/ or traumatic events that are inconsistent with ordinary forgetting.

3. The symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.