Somatoform and Dissociative Disorders

Question 1

Describe the essential characteristics of somatoform disorders

Answer 1

Physical symptoms suggesting a physical disorder for which there are no demonstrable physiological cause/mechanism, & psychological factors of conflicts suspected as cause

Question 2

Name some characteristics of somatic symptom disorder

Answer 2

• Multiple and current somatic symptoms that cause significant life distress/disruption
• excessive thoughts/feelings/behaviours related to symptoms i.e.
  
  • disproportionate + persistant thoughts
  • High lvls of anxiety about health/symptoms
  • Excessive time/energy devoted to symptoms
• 6 months +

Question 3

Name some characteristics of illness anxiety disorder

Answer 3

• preoccupation with having an illness
• absent or mild somatic symtoms
• high anxiety about health
• excessive or avoidant health related behaviour
• 6 months +

Question 4

illness anxiety disorder was previously known as

Answer 4

hypochrondiasis

Question 5

Name some characteristics of conversion disorder

Answer 5

• Unexplained deficit or symptoms affecting motor/sensor suggesting neurological or medical condition
• Clinical findings find contrary evidence between symptoms and recognised conditions
• psychological factors assumed to be associated
• not intentionally produced

Question 6

Name some characteristics of factitious disorder or malingering

Answer 6

• deliberately creating symptoms in order to appear sick

- malingering do so to avoid neg event, or secondary gain, factitious, not so.

Question 7

Stress Diathesis Model for somatic disorders describes 2 Diathesis ?

Answer 7

Biological vulnerabilities and Psychological Vulnerabilities.

Question 8

Discuss how biological vulnerabilities can increase risk for somatoform disorder

Answer 8

Disinhbition - inability to inhibit impulsivity

- antisocial disorder found in males, somatoform in females

Question 9

Somatoform disorders are more prevalent in cultures …

Answer 9

that discourage open communication about psychological problems and stigmatise mental disorders

Question 10

Alexithymia

Answer 10

Inability to express or identify emotions

Question 11

Best established treament for somatoform disorder is ____ but there is preliminary positive evidence for _____

Answer 11

CBT, antidepressants

Question 12

Briefly describe the characteristics of dissociative disorders

Answer 12

Disturbance in the function of identity, memory of consciousness

Question 13

An inability to remember personal information, not due to organic mental disorder =

Answer 13

dissociative amnesia

Question 14

Dissociative fugue

Answer 14

Sudden, unexpected travel away form domicile, and adoption of new life/identity with no memory of previous

Question 15

Name some characteristics of Dissociative Identity Disorder

Answer 15

• Disruption of identity, marked by having 2 or more distinct personalities
• recurrent gaps in the recall of events, inconsistent with normal forgetting
• cause clinically significant distress, disfunction
• failure of normal developmental process of personality integration

Question 16

Name some characteristics of Depersonalisation Disorder

Answer 16

Persistent and recurrent episodes of depersonalisation, significant enough to cause marked distress (depersonalisation = metal state or body feels unreal or foreign)

Question 17

Describe some facets of state-dependant learning

Answer 17

• People remember better when in the same emotional state in which they experienced it
• people learn selectively with content that agrees with their current mood
• different emotional states account for selective memory loss in DD’s

Question 18

Name some principles of treatment for DID

Answer 18

1. Integrate multiple personalities into one
2. Each personality is helped to understand that they are 1 person
3. All personalities treated with respect and empathy
4. Therapist encourages co-operation and respect between personalities
5. Recover gaps in memories
6. Help patient realise breadth of disorder