AP Psychology Unit 12: Somatic & Dissociative Disorders

somatic symptom disorder

- formerly known as somatization/psychosomatic conversion disorder

psychological disorder in which the symptoms take a somatic (bodily) form without apparent physical cause

illness-anxiety disorder

- somatoform disorder marked with excessive concern for one's physical health & fear of the contraction of the disease

- believing minor symptoms are signs of serious health issues

- similar to OCD, but with no complusions = health anxiety

factitious disorder

- condition characterized by perpetually faking illnesses or injuries to elicit emotional support and sympathy from others

- disorder is based upon faking/exaggerated medical symptoms as primary means to fill psychological needs (attention)

factitious disorder by proxy

- variant of Factitious disorder in which a primary care provider (typically the mother) seeks attention by purposefully making & keeping their child ill

- chronic cases can lead to the death of the child

Dissociative disorders

disorders in which conscious awareness becomes separated (dissociated) from previous memories, thoughts, and feelings

depersonalization/derealization disorder

a dissociative disorder marked by the presence of persistent and recurrent episodes of depersonalization, derealization, or both

depersonalization

feelings of detachment from one's mental processes or body

derealization

dissociative amnesia

- memory loss resulting from psychological stressors, not physical brain trauma or injury

dissociative fugue

- condition impairing the memory of one's identity

dissociative identity disorder

- development is typically a response to intense stress & extreme psychosocial trauma

- psyche fractures & forms an alter ego as a coping device

- defined by the existence of at least 1 alter-ego personality in addition to one's personality sharing the same mind

alter ego

one's other self

alter ego characteristics

- changes in voice

- changes in nonverbals

- handedness (handwriting)

- differences in self-perceived age, gender, & ethnicity

*0.05 of the American population