somatic disorders Flashcards
what does soma mean
of the body
so what are somatic disorders
caused by psychological problems, but present themselves physically
how are somatic disorders a cycle
psych problems -> physical problems (back pain, migraines, etc) -> cause more psych problems
what can you catastrophize and what does it mean
you can catastrophize anxiety and depression (fail test -> “i am a failure”)
you can also catastrophize pain
does pain show up on medical tests with somatic disorders
no, so this is where the doctor should recommend counseling
-but this does not often happen
what can having a lot of pain and uncertain causes of pain lead to
getting all of the tests from doctors is expensive and time consuming and stressful
-they will also give some stressful potential diagnoses
what does factitious mean
(used to be called “Munchausen syndrome”)
-group of somatic disorders, person repeatedly and deliberately acts as if he or she has a physical or mental illness when he or she is not really sick
who can factitious disorders be applied to
self and others
- people create physical or psychological symptoms
- self: bruising, may hit themselves and then go to doctor
- others: people trick someone else into thinking they are sick because being a caregiver is relieving to their psychological issues, can poison someone
what are factitious disorders different than
faking sick, skipping work and going out and drinking
what is somatic symptom disorder
disorder in which people become excessively distressed, concerned, and anxious about their bodily symptoms that they are experiencing and their lives are greatly and disproportionately disrupted by the symptoms
what is illness anxiety disorder
a disorder in which people are chronically anxious about and preoccupied with the notion that they have or are developing a serious medical illness despite the absence of somatic symptoms
previously known as hypochondriasis
what is primary gain and an example
the gain people achieve when their somatic symptoms keep their internal conflicts out of awareness
-kid has ADD or ADHD you get money
what is secondary gain
the gain people achieve when their somatic symptoms elicit kindness from other or provide an excuse for avoiding unpleasant activities
-not having to go to work
what can somatic symptoms lead to
sociopathic tendencies
-to self, not hurting others
what can somatic disorders be caused by
poor coping mechanisms, bad relationships, social stressors, having to get a lot of treatment as a kid, inattentive parents & parents are medical professionals
explain having to get a lot of treatments as a kid
kids cannot get perspective on things when they are young, the littlest things will be magnified
explain parents as medical professionals
only give attention when kid is hurt sick or injured
explain conversion disorder
disorder in which bodily symptoms affect voluntary motor and sensory functions but the symptoms are inconsistent with known medical diseases
how does conversion disorder work
focuses on neurological like symptomology
- neurological symptoms but no issue
- convert psychological stress into neurological symptoms
what are the symptoms of conversion disorder and what will people do to see the cause of symptoms
glove anesthesia: feels like you are wearing a glove, but you are not and can make hand feel numb
- will do nerve tests to see if nothing is wrong
- then go to brain and spinr tests (both will come up negative)
what is conversion blindness
-person will say they are blind and cannot see, person actually thinks they are blind and it is caused by trauma, but if you throw a ball at them they will catch it
- you see something traumatic and then you cannot see
- psyche will not let anymore visual information in (unconscious is still aware of objects)
what are the two patterns of somatic disorders
1) somatization pattern
2) predominant pain pattern
what is somatization pattern
long lasting, no physical basis for it
what is predominant pain pattern
pain source is known, but the pain takes on a conversion nature (it should be better by now, it should not hurt anymore)
what are the two patterns caused by
all caused by stress or escape from stress
-medical pain and injuries get a lot more sympathy than psychological
why did illness anxiety disorder change from hypochondriasis
both morbid fear of life threatening illness,
illness anxiety disorder expanded on hypochondriasis to a focus on illness in general
some symptoms / characteristics of illness anxiety disorder
hyper-focus on symptoms
ex. sneezing does not mean you have the flu
- there are no real symptoms (vague sore throat, sneeze, etc) but the person gets so hyper-focused on the symptoms and they are convinced they are sick which causes anxiety and makes them think they are even more sick
what are some stats about illness anxiety disorder
can last for 6 or more months
- affects men and women equally
- similar to OCD
- can lead to everything anxiety can lead to (drug use, isolation, etc)
