Abnormal Psychology: Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders

Alexander Street Video: 22:00
This grouping contains a diverse array of disorders, tied together more by nonspecific, underlying traits and convenience than common origins or modes of treatment. Individuals in this group can display a wide array of characteristics: excessive worry over the somatic symptoms they are experiencing, anxiety over the prospect of having an illness, somatic symptoms of inconsistent pathophysiology, mental factors that may affect a physical condition, or even deceptiveness, in the case of factitious disorder, as the individual presents an illness or condition that isn’t actually being experienced.

(Children's Hospital of Philadelphia) Conversion disorder (also known as functional neurological system disorder) is a condition in which a person experiences physical and sensory problems, such as paralysis, numbness, blindness, deafness or seizures, with no underlying neurologic pathology. These problems are serious enough to negatively impact important life functions, such as academic performance, social relationships and family life.

(MedlinePlus) Functional neurological disorder (formerly called conversion disorder) is a mental condition in which a person has blindness, paralysis, or other nervous system (neurologic) symptoms that cannot be explained by medical evaluation.

(Anxiety & Depression Association of America) The illness you fear might not be the illness you have. I recently conducted an online support group for people with all sorts of health fears, from cancer and heart disease to ALS and MS. Each shared their worries about moles on the skin, irregular heart palpitations, and numbness and tingling. Although their specific fears varied, they all had one thing in common; none of them had ever been diagnosed with a series illness

(MedlinePlus) Illness anxiety disorder (IAD) is a preoccupation that physical symptoms are signs of a serious illness, even when there is no medical evidence to support the presence of an illness.

(NHS inform) Munchausen's syndrome is a rare psychological and behavioural condition in which somebody fabricates or induces symptoms of illness in themselves.

(MedlinePlus) Munchausen syndrome by proxy is a mental illness and a form of child abuse. The caretaker of a child, most often a mother, either makes up fake symptoms or causes real symptoms to make it look like the child is sick.

(MedlinePlus) Somatic symptom disorder (SSD) occurs when a person feels extreme, exaggerated anxiety about physical symptoms. The person has such intense thoughts, feelings, and behaviors related to the symptoms, that they feel they cannot do some of the activities of daily life. They may believe routine medical problems are life threatening. This anxiety may not improve despite normal test results and reassurance from the health care provider.

(American Psychiatric Association) Somatic symptom disorder is diagnosed when a person has a significant focus on physical symptoms, such as pain, weakness or shortness of breath, to a level that results in major distress and/or problems functioning. The individual has excessive thoughts, feelings and behaviors relating to the physical symptoms. The physical symptoms may or may not be associated with a diagnosed medical condition, but the person is experiencing symptoms and believes they are sick (that is, not faking the illness).