Disorders Featuring Somatic Symptoms Flashcards
Factitious disorder stats
Assumed to be rare, no real data
Maybe 1% in hospital settings
More common in women, more severe in men, onset in early adulthood
Factitious disorder
The intentional production of symptoms in order to “be the patient”.
Formerly known as Munchausen’s syndrome
Factitious disorder is common in people who…
Received extensive medical treatment as children, have negative feelings toward the medical profession, worked in medical settings, have poor social support
Causes and treatment for Factitious disorder
Not well understood how it happens
No clearly, consistently effective treatment
Illness anxiety disorder
Preoccupation with having or acquiring a serious illness, no or mild somatic symptoms, high level of anxiety about health, excessive health-related behaviors, present for at least 6 mo.
Illness anxiety disorder stats
1-10% of pop in a year
Onset in mid adulthood
Formerly known as women’s hysteria
Causes of illness anxiety disorder
Difficulty with cognition and perception related to physical signs and sensations, genetic and environmental, sense of lack of control, stressful life event, family history of illness
Treatment for illness anxiety disorder
No established “best practice”
Reassurance, education, CBT, exposure and response prevention, medication (antidepressants)
Somatic symptom disorder
One or more somatic symptoms that are distressing or result in significant disruption of daily life, excessive thoughts feelings or behaviors related to symptoms
Somatic symptom disorder stats
General pop est. 5-7%
Onset at anytime
More common in women
Causes of Somatic symptom disorder
Possibly heritable, possibly neurobiological
We don’t know!
Somatic symptom disorder treatment
CBT, but very difficult to treat effectively
Emphasis on reduction of stress
Conversion disorder
One or more symptoms of altered voluntary or sensory motor function
Incompatibility between symptoms and recognized neurobiological conditions
Conversion disorder stats
Rare, higher rates in neurobiological settings (5%)
More common in women
Onset at anytime
Conversion disorder causes
Difficult to distinguish from medical problems, history of life-threatening trauma, secondary gain, broader psychopathology
