Chapter 6

Question 1

What are the five types of somatic symptom and related disorders?

Answer 1

i. Somatic symptom disorder
ii. Illness anxiety disorder
iii. Psychological factors affecting medical condition
iv. Conversion disorder
v. Factitious disorder

Question 2

What is the clinical description (DSM-5) of somatic symptom disorder?

Answer 2

1. One or more somatic symptoms that are distressing and disrupt daily life
2. Excessive thoughts and feelings related to somatic symptoms or associated health concerns
3. Although the somatic symptom is not always there, they will being worrying about it for >6 months

Question 3

What is the main factor to recognize in somatic symptom disorder?

Answer 3

ii. The main factor is not whether the symptom has a medical cause, but whether psychological and emotional processes are compounding the distress and impairment it causes

Question 4

Define illness anxiety disorder

Answer 4

i. Symptoms are not present or very mild

ii. However, severe anxiety is focused on the possibility of having or developing a disease

Question 5

What is also known as hypochondriasis

Answer 5

Illness anxiety disorder

Question 6

What is the main factor in illness anxiety disorder?

Answer 6

the IDEA of being sick instead of the physical symptoms

Question 7

why was the illness anxiety disorder classification made?

Answer 7

This category was made to report 20% of hypochondriasis cases that didn’t report symptoms, just worry

Question 8

What do both somatic symptom disorder and illness anxiety disorder have in common with regards to other psychological issues

Answer 8

Often has high comorbidity with anxiety and mood disorders

Question 9

What makes somatic symptom and illness anxiety disorders unique from otheranxiety disorders?

Answer 9

disorders because the persons only object of worry is their own body

Question 10

What percentage of people have Hypochondriasis

Answer 10

1-5%

Question 11

What is the most likely demographic to find somatic symptom disorder in?

Answer 11

1. Unmarried women with low SES

Question 12

What is the main cause of somatic symptom and illness anxiety disorders

Answer 12

i. General consensus that this is a disorder of cognition and perception with strong emotional contributions

Question 13

What is the vicious circle for somatic symptom and illness anxiety disorders

Answer 13

ii. By quickly focussing on sensations, they actually increase arousal, giving you anxiety, which causes you to focus on sensations, starting vicious circle

Question 14

What can be said about the sensitivity of people with somatic symptom and illness anxiety disorders?

Answer 14

iii. These people have high sensitivity to illness cues, and interpret ambiguous stimuli as threatening

Question 15

People with somatic symptom and illness anxiety disorders have high sensitivity to illness cues. Why could this be caused by their familial context?

Answer 15

1. A family may cause a person to learn to focus their anxiety on specific symptoms

Question 16

What are two effective ways to treat somatic symptom and illness anxiety disorders?

Answer 16

i. Cogntive behavioural treatment (CBT) for illness anxiety

ii. Reassurance and education can actually be very effective

Question 17

Define Psychological Factors affecting Medical Condition

Answer 17

i. Disorder is present with a diagnosed medical condition

ii. The anxiety over symptoms can actually worsen the symptoms

Question 18

Define conversion disorder

Answer 18

i. Physical malfunction, such as blindness, seizures or paralysis, without any physical or organic pathology to explain it

Question 19

What is another name for conversion disorder?

Answer 19

functional neurological symptom disorder