Question

Somatic Symptom Disorders

Answer 1

Note: This is a reference for educational/studying purposes, not a question, please save all comments or questions for the end.

Answer 2

\({\bf{Factitious~Disorder}}\) condition in which the sufferer fakes illness/symptoms to be treated as a sick person, also known as Munchausen syndrome

- go to great lengths to fake illness, such as taking medications, faking fevers, undergoing invasive testing or surgery
- once caught they usually leave the hospital
- factitious disorder imposed on another (Munchausen syndrome by proxy): a caretaker makes up an illness in their child and subjects them to care
- causes are unclear but may be linked to depression/need for social support

Answer 3

\({\bf{Conversion~Disorder}}\) condition in which sufferer displays symptoms that are not consistent with any known diseases, ex. glove anesthesia which is a numbness pattern in the hand not consistent with the way neurology would dictate

- more common in women than men
- appears during extreme sress, lasts weeks
- rare, (5/1000 people)
- sufferers are susceptible to suggestion/hypnosis

\({\bf{Somatic~Symptom~Disorder}}\) condition in which the sufferer becomes excessively worried about bodily symptoms whether real or imagined

- somatization pattern: large and varied number of symptoms
- predominant pain pattern: person's primary bodily pattern that causes pain
- briquet's syndrome: pain symptoms, gastrointestinal symptoms, sexual symptoms, neurological symptoms

Answer 4

\({\bf{Factors~of~Conversion~and~Somatic~Symptom~Disorders}}\)

psychodynamic:
- Freud, thought that hysterical disorders originated with phallic stage/Electra complex, parents punishing children for expressing sexual feelings
- primary gain: using bodily symptoms to keep thoughts out of awareness
- secondary gain: symptoms enable them to avoid unpleasant activities and get attention from others

behavioral:
- symptoms allow suffereres to get attention or drive away certain individuals
- behaviorists view this as the primary cause unlike psychodynamic theorists who believe this is the secondary gain

cognitive:
- symptoms are a means of communication or defense mechanism against negative feelings
- children are susceptible b/c they have less ability to communicate verbally

multicultural:
- some cultures view somatic complaints as a superior way of dealing with stress than expressing them actively through words
- higher incident of stress-induced symptoms in non-western countries

Answer 5

\({\bf{Treatments}}\)

- usually sufferers believe their problems are completely physical and do not want to seek psychological help
- insight therapy: becoming more aware of underlying conflicts and addressing them w/o channeling into physical symptoms
- drug therapy: antidepressants/antianxieties
- exposure: exposing clients to events/situations that trigger physical symptoms to reduce anxiety to those symptoms over time
- suggestion: therapist convinces clients taht the symptoms will disappear
- reinforcement: removing rewards for clients displaying "sick" behavior
- confrontation: therapist tells client that their symptoms are not physical in cause

Answer 6

\({\bf{Ilness~Anxiety~Disorder}}\) condition in which sufferers are convinced they have symptoms/ are developing a serious condition despite no evidence

- starts in early adulthood, men and women affected equally
- about 7 percent of all patients display signs of IAD
- similar factors/causes as anxiety
- treated with anti-depressants, exposure/response prevention

Answer 7

\({\bf{Psychophysiological~Disorders}}\) biological + psychological + sociocultural factors interact to cause/worsen an existing illness

- ulcers: holes in the stomach wall, cause pain/vomiting/bleeding. caused by psychological factors like stress and biological factors like bacteria
- asthma: narrowing of the airway, restricting breathing and causing coughing/choking. caused by stress/anxiety, allergies, slow SNS or weak respirator system
- insomnia: difficulty sleeping, caused by stress/anxiety, in addition to medical problems
- tension headaches: pain at the back/front of head/ back of neck, caused by tightening of blood vessels
- migraine headaches: localized to one side of head, cause dizziness/nausea, caused by the narrowing and expanding of blood vessels and overestimation of the neurons
- hypertension: high blood pressure, caused by cardiovascular problems, obesity, but also exacerbated by stress/anger/depression
- coronary heart disease: blocking of coronary arteries (blood vessels around heart), exacerbated by stress/anger/depression

Answer 8

factors of psychophysiological disorders:

- dysfunction of the ANS/SNS
- individual differences in how they respond to stress/anger/etc.
- personality types (A vs B)
- poverty/discrimation
- "Hispanic Health Paradox": despite economic problems/discrimination, the average Hispanic American is on par with or better than white Americans/African Americans in terms of health

Answer 9

\({\bf{Psychoneuroimmunology}}\) links psychological stress with immune system health

- neurotransmitter norepinephrine slows down the immune system, inhibits lymphocytes
- corticosteroids, in excess, can cause inflammation
- certain personalities are more resilient to stress and have better outcomes when treated for disease
- poor social support is linked to poor immuno functioning

\({\bf{Psychological~Treatments~for~Physical~Disorders}}\)

usually more effective when used in combination

- relaxation training
- biofeedback, EMG feedback
- meditation
- hypnosis/self-hypnosis
- self-instruction/stress inoculation training
- positive self-statements/coping self-statements
- support groups

Answer 10

Anyway, that's all for this topic, I hope it was of use to you! If you have any questions I will address them to the best of my ability (you may have better luck contacting me on my main account, Vocaloid)

Source: Fundamentals of Abnormal Psychology, Eighth Edition, Ronald J. Comer