Chapter Notes Flashcards
What is somatization?
tendency to communicate distress through physical symptoms and to pursue medical help for these symptoms
Do some people with somatic symptom disorder report of serious pain>
yes
What is a key part of somatic disorder?
A person feels great anxiety about the symptom or ones health
What are some therapies designed to treat somatic symptom disorder?
besides social exposure not much exists
What is phantom pain?
when a person continues to experience pain in a limb even though that limb is no longer there
What is functional somatization?
Medically unexplained symptoms not part of another mental disorder
what is presenting somatization?
presented as part of another mental disorder, especially anxiety or depression
What is illness anxiety disorder?
excessive preoccupation with fear of having a disease
What disorder can illness anxiety disorder be linked to?
Obsessive compulsive disorder
What is a difference in description of symptoms between somatic and illness disorder?
People with illness disorder complain about their symptoms in detail
What is autosuggestibility?
Reading or hearing about an illness can lead to fear of having that disease
What are pseudo seizures in the chapter?
seizure like activity such as twitching or loss of consciousness without electrical disruptions in the brain actually occurring
What stressors generally trigger conversion disorder?
psychological not physical
What is la belle indifference?
relatively unconcerned about their symptoms (may indicate other psychological factors are at play like dramatic or attention seeking behaviors)
What is Münchausen syndrome?
person causes symptoms and claims they have a physical or mental disorder
What is malingering alternatively to factitious disorder?
Condition that may be focus of clinical attention
where do many people with somatic symptom disorder remain?
medical system not mental health system so data is sparse
What are the most common medically unexplained symptoms across cultures?
1.) Gastrointestinal problems
2.) Strange skin sensations
What are somatic symptom disorders closely related to?
depression and anxiety
What do somatic symptom and illness anxiety disorders have features similar to?
Panic, generalized anxiety, and OCD
What do somatic symptom disorders often overlap with?
Panic disorders
What may delay treatment among people with depression and somatization?
fear of stigma
What two disorders were once thought to be linked but are now separate?
Somatic symptom and dissociative disorders
What differs across cultures and are closely related to depression, anxiety, and personality disorders?
medically unexplained symptoms
What is common among medical patients and then what is not?
Somatiation but not formal somatic symptom disorders
What is the heritability estimate for somatic symptom disorder?
.44
What is the heritability estimate for illness anxiety disorder?
.54-.69
What aspects of somatic symptom disorders have a genetic basis?
anxiety, anxiety sensitivity, depression, and ability to understand emotions
Do somatic symptom disorders cluster among family members especially females and parents and children?
yes
What is a biological risk factor with somatic symptom disorders?
brain changes (emotion, perception, and physical feelings)
What areas of the brain may be overactive in patients with somatic symptom disorder?
amygdala, limbic system, hypothalamus, cingulate, prefrontal, and somatosensory cortices
What would an overactive amygdala explain?
people with somatic symptom disorders experience many physical changes and concern about the changes
Do people with somatic symptom disorder feel the compulsion for checking?
yes
What does illness behavior refer to?
What one does when sick
Can negative and positive reinforcement be a factor in illness disorder?
yes through sympathy and withdrawing from obligations
Is reassurance an effective anxiety reducer in long term?
No
what do therapists use to assess people with somatic symptom disordeR?
interviews and questionnaires
What do interviews and questionnaires focus on?
diagnostic criteria, history of symptoms, illness behaviors and beliefs, personality patterns, and other relevant topics
What are psychological treatments for people with somatic symptom disorder?
cognitive behavioral strategies,
What does normal dissociation refer to?
separation of emotions, thoughts, memories, or inner experiences from oneself
What are biological risk factors for dissociative disorders?
key brain changes in areas most responsible for memory and conscious integration
What do memory changes in people with dissociative disorders often involve?
compartmentalization of personal material and failure to retrieve information
What remains linked but the causal relationship is unclear>
trauma and dissociation
what do neurodevelopmental models of dissociative disorders concentrate on?
how young, maltreated children fail to develop a unified sense of self
What do interviews that assess people with dissociative disorders often cover?
recent and past stressors and the presence of amnesia
What do questionnaires screen for?
dissociative symptoms
