Ch. 6 | Dissociative Disorders

biofeedback training (BFT)

A method of giving an individual information (feedback) about bodily functions so that the person can gain some degree of control over them.

cardiovascular disease (CVD)

A disease or disorder of the cardiovascular system such as coronary heart disease or hypertension.

conversion disorder

A somatoform disorder characterized by loss or impairment of physical function in the absence of any apparent organic cause

depersonalization

Feelings of unreality or detachment from one’s self or one’s body

derealization disorder

A dissociative disorder characterized by persistent or recurrent episodes of depersonalization and/or derealization

derealization

A sense of unreality about the outside world

dhat syndrome

A culture-bound disorder, found primarily among Asian Indian males, characterized by excessive fears over the loss ofseminal fluid

dissociative amnesia

A dissociative disorder in which a person experiences memory loss without any identifiable organic cause

dissociative disorders

Disorders characterized by disruption, or dissociation, of identity, memory, or consciousness

dissociative identity disorder (DID)

A dissociative disorder in which a person has two or more distinct, or alter, personalities

factitious disorder

A disorder characterized by intentional fabrication of psychological or physical symptoms for no apparent gain

hypochondriasis

A pattern of abnormal behavior characterized by misinterpretation of physical symptoms as signs of underlying serious disease, now classified as a form of either somatic symptom disorder or illness anxiety disorder

illness anxiety disorder

A somatic symptom disorder characterized by unduly high levels of anxiety or concerns about having a serious illness, even though physical symptoms are either absent or minor

koro syndrome

A culture-bound disorder, found primarily in China, in which people fear that their genitals are shrinking and retracting into their bodies

malingering

Faking illness to avoid work or duty

Munchausen syndrome

A type of factitious disorder characterized by the fabrication of medical symptoms

psychosomatic disorders

Physical disorders in which psychological factors play a causal or contributing role

somatic symptom (and related disorders)

A category of psychological disorders characterized by persistent emotional or behavioral problems relating to physical symptoms

somatic symptom disorder (SSD)

A psychological disorder characterized by excessive concerns about one’s physical symptoms

Type A behavior pattern (TABP)

A behavior pattern characterized by a sense of time urgency, competitiveness, and hostility

hysterical dissociative disorder

a set of clinical syndromes characterized by behavioral disorders and psychic activity anomalies.

mutually amnesic

subpersonalities have no awareness of one another

mutually cognizant

each sub-personality is well aware of the rest

one-way amnesic

most common pattern; some personalities are aware of others, but the awareness is not mutual
--> Those who are aware ("co-conscious sub-personalities") are "quiet observers"