Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders

Somatic Symptom Disorder

Illness Anxiety Disorder

Conversion Disorder (Functional Neurological Symptom Disorder)

Psychological Factors affecting Other Medical Conditions

Factitious Disorder (includes Facitious Disorder Imposed on Self, Factitious Disorder Imposed on Another)

Other Specified Somatic Symptom and Related Disorder

Unspecified Somatic Symptom and Related Disorder

Psychosomatic diseases - (genuine) are influenced by thoughts and expectations & social support

Somatoform disorders have no organic basis to them, yet have real psychological consequences.

Somatization Disorder - history of a variety of complaints about health and disease. Mostly affects women, often along with a depression or anxiety disorder.
E.g., cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, neurological.

Conversion Disorder - usually in a single organ system or limb (loss of function - i.e., vision, hearing, glove anesthesia, loss of legs)

Hypochondriasis - excessive preoccupation with one's health and constant complaint about (serious) illness. Marked over-interpretation of symptoms.

Etiology of Somatoform disorders

Personality - histrionic: self-centred, suggestible, highly emotional, dramatic, thrive on attention. Neuroticism (trait).

Cognitive - focus on excessive attention on internal physiological states & amplify normal bodily sensations. Tend to make disaster conclusions about bodily complaints, apply faulty standard of good health.

Sick role - reinforcement for complaints, can avoid life's problems & protect self esteem from failures, getting attention from others.