Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders

Question 1

Somatic symptom and related disorders share the following characteristics:

Answer 1

• Observable physical symptoms that are indicative of, yet not fully explained by, a general medical condition, the direct effects of a substance, or another mental disorder.
• The symptoms must cause clinically significant distress or impairment.
• The symptoms must be unintentional.

Question 2

The following are somatic disorders:

Answer 2

• Somatic Symptom Disorder - At least one somatic symptom, accompanied by exaggerated thoughts, feelings, or behaviors regarding the symptom. The condition persist, typically lasting over six months.
• Illness Anxiety Disorder – preoccupation with having or developing a serious disease based on the individuals misinterpretation of bodily symptoms or functions
• Functional Neurological Symptom Disorder (conversion disorder) - Symptoms affect voluntary motor or sensory functions

Question 3

The following can be used to diagnose somatic symptom and other related disorders:

Answer 3

• DSM-5 Level 2—Somatic Symptom—Adult measure
• Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-15)
• Whitely Index (WI-7) - often used to test for hypochondriasis
• Scale for the Assessment of Illness Behavior (SAIB)

Question 4

The following treatments help people manage their somatic symptoms:

Answer 4

Therapeutic
* CBT
* Mindfulness based therapy
* Family therapy

Pharmaceutical
* Antidepressants
* Antiepileptics
* Antipsychotics