chapter 6

Question 1

somatic symptom disorder

Answer 1

• 1+ somatic symptoms
• pain, fatigue, nausea, muscle weakness, numbness, indigestion
• anxiety related to symptoms: ongoing research, over the counter meds, see many docs
• sensitive to pain
• symptoms disrupt life and cause impairment

Question 2

illness anxiety disorder

Answer 2

• preoccupation, anxiety, worry about having or getting a serious illness
• no somatic symptoms but still concerned
• focus of life, check body all the time, seek medical help of info, avoid specific activities
• easily alarmed about illness, epidemics
• high alert about symptoms, seeing doc, self diagnosis
• confused with OCD

Question 3

conversion disorder

Answer 3

• loss of physical functioning temporarily
• motor deficits, paralysis, weakness, difficulty swallowing, seizure
• blind double vision, deafness, loss of touch or pain
• lacks physical pathology
• follows trauma

Question 4

causes

Answer 4

• somatic and illness: role of anxiety, misinterpretation of somatic sensations and symptoms
• conversion: stress or trauma associated with onset

Question 5

integrated biophysical model

Answer 5

• physiological, psychological, social factors implicated
• patterns result in different disorders
• unusual HPA axis related to pain or fatigue, cogntive factors, personality traits, early life expereinces

Question 6

treatment

Answer 6

• CBT helpful
• goals: restructure morbid thoughts, bring dysfunctional behaviours under control, strategies to regulate emotions, psychoeducation
• somatic symptom: reduce stress, minimize seeking behaviors
• illness: identify illness misinterpretations
• conversion: address stress and reduce it, reduce reinforcement or supportive consequences