Somatoform Disorders Flashcards
Describe the difference between primary and secondary gains.
The primary gain is a decrease in anxiety that results from some effort made to deal with stress. The secondary gain is the advantage, other than reduced anxiety, that occurs as a result of the sick role.
Explain the difference between somatization and hypochondriasis.
The term somatization is used to describe a person who has many recurrent complaints with no organic basis; a person with hypochondriasis has unrealistic or exaggerated physical complaints. The concerns of those who are experiencing somatization and of those who are hypochondriacal are so exaggerated that they interfere with social and occupational functioning.
An air traffic controller suddenly develops blindness. All physical findings are negative. The client’s history reveals increased anxiety about job performance and fear about job security. What type of disorder is this? What purpose is the blindness serving? What nursing interventions are indicated?
Conversion reaction; decreases the anxiety about job; assist with ADLs, encourage expression of anger, teach relaxation techniques, and assist with the identification of anxiety related to job security and performance.
A 29-year-old secretary, who is obese, has visited seven different doctors in the past year with a complaint of chest pain and shortness of breath. This individual is certain she is having a heart attack in spite of the health care provider’s reassurance that all tests are normal. What type of disorder is this? What nursing actions are indicated?
Hypochondriacal disorder; decrease anxiety, teach relaxation techniques, explore relationship between the symptoms and past experiences with heart disease, focus interactions away from bodily concerns.
Five years ago, a man was involved in a motor vehicle accident that killed the friend who was a passenger in the car he was driving. Since that time, he has been unable to work because of severe back pain. The pain is unrelieved by prescribed medications. What type of disorder is this? What are the contributing causes? Describe the nursing care.
Somatization Disorder
- Causes: unresolved grief, anxiety
- Nursing care: evaluate pain medication use or abuse; document duration and intensity of pain; assist client to identify precipitating factors related to request for medication.
- Somatization disorder = a long-term (chronic) condition in which a person has physical symptoms that involve more than one part of the body, but no physical cause can be found. The pain and other symptoms people with this disorder feel are real, and are not created or faked on purpose (malingering)
