Somatoform and Factitious Disorders Flashcards
What somatoform/factitious disorder is described below?
Syndrome of physical symptoms (Cause significant distress or psychosocial impairment)
Typically have long history of going to the doctor for many different unexplainable symptoms
Greater than 6 months duration to be disorder
Patients present with vague physical complaints involving many organ systems
Somatization Disorder
What percentage of somatization disorder patients have comorbid mental disorders?
50%
What are the most common systems/complaints in somatization disorder?
GI tract
Reproductive tract
Neurologic symptoms
May include pain
The difference between somatization disorder and other somatoform
disorders lies in what?
lies in its number of disparate symptoms and the fact that it
affects more than one body system
For the diagnosis of somatization disorder, must have reported at least four occurrences of pain in different areas of the body:
Two GI symptoms (not pain)
One symptom affecting sexual function
One neurological symptom
At least four pain symptoms
Onset before age 30
Can’t be explained by general medical condition or substance use
What somatoform/factitious disorder is described below?
Preoccupation of having a disease
Prolonged, exaggerated concern about health and possible illness
Patient fears disease or are convinced one is present
Hypochondriasis
What somatoform/factitious disorder is described below?
Preoccupation with an imaged defect in appearance
Patient feels self-conscious and fears humiliation
Patients can go to great lengths to hide or correct their perceived anomaly
Body Dysmorphic Disorder
What somatoform/factitious disorder is described below?
Unlike the previous conditions, these patients INTENTIALLY FAKE signs and symptoms of medical/psych origin
Motivation is to assume the sick role
Patients are usually familiar with disease process that they are feigning
Factitious Disorder
What are some characteristics of patients with factitious disorder?
Bizarre
Demanding
Dramatic
Evasive
Medically sophisticated
Unruly
What somatoform/factitious disorder is described below?
Severe form of factitious disorder
Belongs to a group of conditions, called factitious disorders, that are
either made up or self-inflicted
Patient with deep need for attention pretends to be sick or gets sick or injured on purpose
Munchausen Syndrome
What are some risk factors for the development of Munchausen Syndrome?
Childhood trauma, such as emotional, physical, or sexual abuse
Serious illness during childhood
A relative with a serious illness
Loss of a loved one through death, illness, or abandonment early in life
Unfulfilled desire to be a health professional
Work in the healthcare field
Personality disorders
What somatoform/factitious disorder is described below?
Involves parent abusing child by seeking unneeded medical attention for the child
Parent is usually female and is very helpful in the hospital
Often appreciated by the staff for the care she gives her child
Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy
What somatoform/factitious disorder is described below?
Involves the deliberate production of physical/psychological symptoms (false or exaggerated)
Discrepancy of findings and complaints
motivated by external gain
Malingering
List some reasons/causes for malingering
Avoiding work
Monetary gain (workman’s comp)
Getting out of jail
Getting drugs
Homeless getting out of rain
What is the most common somatoform disorder?
Conversion Disorder
