Somatic Symptoms+Factitious Disorders

Question 1

Somatic symptoms

Answer 1

Patients with somatic symptom disorder present with at least one (and often
multiple) physical symptom. They frequently seek treatment from many doctors, often resulting in extensive lab work, diagnostic procedures, hospitalizations, and/or surgeries lasting more than 6 months

TTT
Chronic course,minimize the unnecessary medical TTT and workups. Reduce stress.

Question 2

Conversion disorder OR functional neurological symptom disorder

Answer 2

Patient converts psychological distress into neurological symptoms including paresthesia,blindness and paralysis.
The patient is calm and unconcerned unlike in somatic symptoms, this is known as la Belle indifference
TTT
Patient education of the disorder and CBT.

Question 3

1.Illness anxiety disorder

Answer 3

1. Patient is preoccupied with having serious disorder.
   High level of anxiety about health.

Question 4

Factitious disorders

Answer 4

Patients with factitious disorders intentionally falsify medical or psychological signs and symptoms in order to assume the role of a sick patient. There is absence of external rewards unlike malingering.
Commonly feigned symptoms:
■ Psychiatric—hallucinations, depression.
■ Medical—fever (by heating the thermometer), infection, hypoglyce-
mia, abdominal pain, seizures, and hematuria.

Question 5

malingering vs factitious disorder

Answer 5

The fundamental difference between malingering and factitious disorder is in the
intention of the patient; in malingering, the motivation is external,
whereas in factitious disorder, the motivation is internal.