Dissociative and Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders

Question 1

Are dissociative disorders diagnosed promptly during treatment?

Answer 1

No.

Question 2

When do people most often begin to dissociate?

Answer 2

After experiencing a traumatic event.

Question 3

What is dissociative identity disorder?

Answer 3

A disorder in which a person has two or more distinct or alternate personalities.

Question 4

How aware are the alternate personalities of each other and the host?

Answer 4

The host is not often aware of the alters, but the alters are always aware of the host and each other.

Question 5

What is the range for number of personalities?

Answer 5

It can range from 2 - 100.

Question 6

What are some characteristics that can differ between personalities in dissociative identity disorder?

Answer 6

Voice patterns, accents, ages, morals, allergies, gender identities, etc.

Question 7

What is the prevalence rate for dissociative identity disorder?

Answer 7

Extremely rare. 0.5 - 1% of the population have it.

Question 8

What stage of life is DID thought to start?

Answer 8

Childhood.

Question 9

Who most often reports dissociative identity disorder?

Answer 9

A relatively small number of investigators and clinicians who strongly believe in the existence of the disorder.

Question 10

What does Spanos’ research suggest about dissociative identity disorder?

Answer 10

That DID is not a distinct disorder, but a form of role playing where individuals come to construe themselves as having multiple selves, and then begin to act in ways consistent with the disorder.

Question 11

What is the controversy around Kenneth Bianchi?

Answer 11

A police psychiatrist may have suggested that he could role-play a person with multiple personalities.

Question 12

What is dissociative amnesia?

Answer 12

In which a person experiences memory losses in the absence of any identifiable organic cause.

Question 13

What is local amnesia?

Answer 13

Forgetting specific times.

Question 14

What is specific amnesia?

Answer 14

Forgetting specific events.

Question 15

What is usually retained during dissociative amnesia?

Answer 15

General knowledge and skills.

Question 16

What is malingering?

Answer 16

Faking illness so as to obtain benefits.

Question 17

What is dissociative amnesia with fugue?

Answer 17

In which one suddenly flees from one’s life situation, travels to a new location, assumes a new identity, and has amnesia for past personal material.

Question 18

How do sufferers of fugue states generally get their memories coming back to them?

Answer 18

Suddenly and all at once.

Question 19

After what age do fugue and amnesia become especially rare?

Answer 19

After age 50.

Question 20

What is depersonalization disorder?

Answer 20

A disorder characterized by persistent or recurrent episodes of depersonalization.

Question 21

What is meant by depersonalization?

Answer 21

Disconnecting from yourself, detaching from one’s self or body.

Question 22

What is derealization?

Answer 22

Episodes characterized by the sense that one’s surroundings have become strange or unreal, time may seem to be oddly slowed down or sped up.

Question 23

What percentage of people experience some form of derealization?

Answer 23

80 - 90%.

Question 24

What does the psychodynamic perspective suggest is the cause for dissociative disorders?

Answer 24

Repression; our ego becomes overwhelmed as we try to repress our memories.

Question 25

Why do psychodynamic theorists believe that DID sufferers develop other personalities?

Answer 25

In order to systematically forget specific memories.

Question 26

What did Porter et al. discover in their study on false memories?

Answer 26

26% of participants created false memories based on stories fabricated by the researchers.

Question 27

What is the psychoanalytic treatment approach for dissociative disorders?

Answer 27

To uncover early childhood traumas and bring together all the alternate personalities into one.

Question 28

What are somatoform disorders?

Answer 28

Disorders in which people com[lain of physical (somatic) problems although no physical abnormality can be found.

Question 29

What is factitious disorder?

Answer 29

Making up a disorder and then giving yourself symptoms so that you would be recognized as being ill.

Question 30

What was factitious disorder previously known as?

Answer 30

Münchausen Syndrome.

Question 31

What is Münchausen by proxy?

Answer 31

A disorder where you give someone in your care a disease so that you can care for them. Most often mothers making their children sick.

Question 32

What is conversion disorder?

Answer 32

Type of somatoform disorder characterized by loss or impairment of physical function in the absence of any organic causes that might account for the changes.

Question 33

What is La Belle Indifference?

Answer 33

A term describing the lack of concern over one’s symptoms. Displayed sometimes by people with conversion disorder but also people with real physical disorders.

Question 34

What is somatic symptom disorder?

Answer 34

A type of somatoform disorder involving recurrent multiple complaints that cannot be explained by any clear physical causes.

Question 35

What was somatic symptom disorder previously called?

Answer 35

Briquet’s disorder.

Question 36

What is the main difference between conversion disorder and somatic symptom disorder?

Answer 36

Conversion disorder involves serious impairments, somatic symptom disorder involves minor complaints.

Question 37

What is illness anxiety disorder?

Answer 37

Fear of any symptoms and what they might represent.

Question 38

What was illness anxiety disorder previously called?

Answer 38

Hypochondriasis.

Question 39

Do sufferers of illness anxiety disorder fake their symptoms?

Answer 39

No, but they fear that symptoms are due to a real illness.

Question 40

What are primary gains for somatic symptoms and related disorders?

Answer 40

The relief from anxiety obtained through the development of a neurotic symptom. Makes you less anxious about a internal conflicts.

Question 41

What are secondary gains for somatic symptoms and related disorders?

Answer 41

Any side benefits associated with neuroses or other disorders, such as sympathy and increased attention.

Question 42

What does psychoanalysis treatment for somatoform and related disorders involve?

Answer 42

Talk therapy; all about uncovering unconscious conflicts that originated in childhood.

Question 43

What is the behavioural approach to treating somatoform and related disorders?

Answer 43

Removing any reinforcement of symptoms by sympathy or attention (secondary gains). It also focuses on the healthy aspects and ignores the symptoms.

Question 44

What does the cognitive-behavioural approach to treatment for somatoform and related disorders entail?

Answer 44

Looking at evidence and working through what could be wrong.

Question 45

Where is Koro syndrome prevalent and what is it?

Answer 45

Prevalent in China and East Asia; it is the fear that their genitals are shrinking or retracting into their body and believe that this will result in death.

Question 46

Where is Dhat syndrome prevalent and what is it?

Answer 46

Prevalent in young men in India; it is the excessive fears over loss of seminal fluid during nocturnal emission.

Question 47

What is amok? Where is it prevalent?

Answer 47

A trancelike state in which a person suddenly becomes highly excited and violently attacks other people or destroys objects. Prevalent in Southeast Asia and Pacific cultures.

Question 48

What is zar? Where is it prevalent?

Answer 48

Describes a spirit possessing people who experience dissociative states during which they engage in unusual behaviour ranging from shouting to banging heads against a wall. Prevalent in North African and Middle Eastern cultures.