Somatic disorders: somatic symptom disorder/ conversion disorders

What is somatic symptom disorder?

physical symptoms thata re distressing and disruptive to their life

What are some causes of somatic symptoms?

Childhood factors ( negative emotions that couldn’t be released as a child)

Psychological factors (positive reinforcements somatic complaints receive)

biological factors ( some evidence of genetic influence)

What is somatic symptom disorder?

physical symptoms thata re distressing and disruptive to their life

What are some causes of somatic symptoms?

Childhood factors ( negative emotions that couldn’t be released as a child)

Psychological factors (positive reinforcements somatic complaints receive)

biological factors ( some evidence of genetic influence)

What are some effective treatments for somatic disorders?

focus on caring rather than curing & managing symptoms

give reassurance that their concerns have been heard and received

Psychotherapy (relaxation & psychoeducation)

Pharmacotherapy ( antidepressants)

What is conversion disorder?

clients have neurological symptoms (seizures, paralysis, speech difficulty, blindness)

What are the causes of conversion disorder?

traumatic events that are converted into physical disabilites

What are some effective treatments of conversion disorders?

describe that they have a software problem rather than a hardware problem

Psychotherapy (psychoeducation: hypnosis, desensitize, cognitive restricting, and relaxation technique

Pharmacotherapy (antidepressants)

What are some nursing interventions for conversion and somatic disorders?

create a therapeutic alliance

Take clients’ concerns seriously

take time to explain the meaning of their results

decrease attention to clients’ physical symptoms

encourage clients to verbalize anxiety, fear, frustration

provide psychoeducation