PSY 245 Lecture Notes - Lecture 16: Somatic Symptom Disorder, Conversion Disorder, Factitious Disorder
Document Summary
Presence of physical symptoms with no authentic organic basis that are due to psychological factors. People with somatization disorder have numerous long-lasting physical ailments that have little or no organic basis. To receive a diagnosis, a patient must have multiple ailments that include several pain symptoms, gastrointestinal symptoms, a sexual symptom, and a neurological symptom (all symptoms do not need to occur at once to be diagnosed) Patients often describe their symptoms in dramatic and exaggerated terms. Between 0. 2 2% of all women in the us experience a somatization disorder per year (compared with <0. 2% of men) The disorder often runs in families, and begins between adolescence and late adulthood. Significant last of physical function (with no apparent organic basis) Symptoms affect voluntary motor or sensory function. Can include hysterical blindness, paralysis, selective amnesia, etc. Caused or maintained by primary or secondary gain.
