Dissociative Disorders and Somatic Symptom Disorders

Flashcards covering key terms related to dissociative disorders and somatic symptom disorders.

Alters

Shorthand term for alter egos, the different personalities or identities in dissociative identity disorder.

Depersonalization/derealization disorder

A dissociative disorder in which feelings of depersonalization are so severe they dominate the client’s life and prevent normal functioning.

Derealization

Situation in which the individual loses a sense of the reality of the external world.

Dissociative amnesia

A dissociative disorder featuring the inability to recall personal information, usually of a stressful or traumatic nature.

Dissociative disorder

Disorder in which individuals feel detached from themselves or their surroundings and reality, experience, and identity may disintegrate.

Dissociative fugue

Type of dissociative amnesia featuring sudden, unexpected travel away from home, along with an inability to recall the past, sometimes with assumption of a new identity.

Dissociative identity disorder (DID)

Formerly known as multiple personality disorder; a disorder in which as many as 100 personalities or fragments of personalities coexist within one body and mind.

Dissociative trance disorder

Altered state of consciousness in which people firmly believe they are possessed by spirits; considered a disorder only where there is distress and dysfunction.

Factitious disorder

Nonexistent physical or psychological disorder deliberately faked for no apparent gain except possibly sympathy and attention.

Functional Neurological Symptom Disorders (Conversion Disorders)

Physical malfunctioning, such as blindness or paralysis, suggesting neurological impairment but with no organic pathology to account for it.

Generalized amnesia

Loss of memory of all personal information, including identity.

Illness anxiety disorder

A somatic symptom disorder involving severe anxiety over belief in having a disease process without any evident physical cause.

Localized or selective amnesia

Memory loss limited to specific times and events, particularly traumatic events.

Malingering

Deliberate faking of a physical or psychological disorder motivated by gain.

Munchausen syndrome

A condition where an individual fakes illness for attention and sympathy, previously known as factitious disorder.

Psychological factors affecting medical condition

A somatic symptom disorder with a diagnosed medical condition adversely affected by psychological or behavioral factors.

Somatic symptom disorder

Disorder involving extreme and long-lasting focus on multiple physical symptoms for which no medical cause is evident.