Module 12: Somatic Symptom Disorders

Question 1

What are the different Somatic Symptom Disorders?

Answer 1

1. Somatic Symptom Disorder
2. Illness Anxiety Disorder
3. Conversion Disorder (Functional Neurological Symptom Disorder)
4. Psychological Factors affecting other Medical Conditions
5. Factitious Disorder

Question 2

Somatic Symptom Disorder

Answer 2

+one or more symptoms cause distress and disruption of daily life
+ chronic, influenced by the number of symptoms, age, level of impairment, and any comorbidity
+ with enhanced perceptual sensitivity to illness cues

Question 3

What are some cognitive features of the Somatic Symptom Disorder?

Answer 3

cognitive features include attention focused on somatic symptoms, attribution of normal bodily sensations to physical illness, worry about illness, a self-concept of bodily weakness, and intolerance of
bodily complaints

Question 4

Who are the individuals who are at high risk for Somatic Symptom Disorder?

Answer 4

more frequent in individuals with few years of education and low socioeconomic status

Question 5

What are some factors that may heighten the chance for Somatic Symptom Disorder?

Answer 5

ineffectiveness of analgesics, history of mental disorders, unclear palliative factors, persistence without cessation, and stress

Question 6

What must Somatic Symptom Disorder be accompanied by?

Answer 6

must be accompanied by excessive or
disproportionate thoughts, feelings, or behavior

Question 7

What is the focus of Somatic Symptom Disorder?

Answer 7

focus is on the distress that particular symptoms cause

Question 8

Are individuals with Somatic Symptom Disorder delusional?

Answer 8

individual’s belief that somatic symptoms might reflect serious underlying physical illness are not held with delusional intensity

Question 9

Illness Anxiety Disorder

Answer 9

+ preoccupation with having or acquiring serious illness
+ usually minimal to no symptoms, mild intensity
+ interpret ambiguous stimuli as threatening

Question 10

Why does illness anxiety disorder usually develop?

Answer 10

develop in the context of a stressful life

Question 11

Who are the individuals who are most likely to develop Illness Anxiety Disorders?

Answer 11

+ People who develop these disorders tend to have a disproportionate incidence of disease in their family when they were children
+ history of child abuse and neglect

Question 12

What is Illness Anxiety Disorder comorbid with?

Answer 12

co-occurs with anxiety disorders, OCD, and
depressive disorders

Question 13

What is the biological sex that is most likely to develop Illness Anxiety Disorder?

Answer 13

2-3x more common in women

Question 14

What commonly co-occurs with Conversion Disorder and Somatic Symptom Disorder?

Answer 14

Panic Disorder and depressive disorders commonly co-occur with Conversion Disorder also, Somatic Symptom Disorder

Question 15

Conversion Disorder (Functional Neurological Symptom Disorder)

Answer 15

+ altered voluntary motor or sensory function
+ incompatibility between the symptom and recognized neurological or medical conditions
+ unexpected neurological disease cause for the symptoms is rarely found at follow-up
+ too much use of denial

Question 16

Psychological Factors affecting other Medical Conditions

Answer 16

+ medical symptom is present
+ psychological or behavioral factors affect medical condition
+ psychological or behavioral factors are judged to affect the course of medical condition
+ psychological factors affecting other medical conditions is diagnosed when the psychological traits or behaviors do not meet criteria for a mental diagnosis

Question 17

Factitious Disorder

Answer 17

+ Imposed on Self: individual present himself or herself as ill
+ Imposed on Another: presents another individual as ill
+ absence of obvious rewards
+ malingering: false medical symptoms or exaggerating existing symptoms in hopes of being rewarded