PSYC 353 Lecture Notes - Somatic Symptom Disorder, Delusional Disorder, Doctor Shopping
Document Summary
Group of disorders that include physical symptoms w/o known organic cause: not due to a substance/ psychological disorder, not intentionally feigning (diff type of disorder) Cause clinical impairment and distress: seek medical intervention/ treatment, occupational/ social/ other impairment, clinically- significant distress. Conversion disorder- loss of functioning in some parts of body. Symptom or deficit affecting voluntary motor/ sensory function. Psychological factors are judged to be associated with the symptoms. Motor symptoms or deficits (ticks), sensory deficit (blindness, itching, numbing, burning), seizures or convulsions, mixed presentation. Concern regarding symptoms: la belle indifference- the client shows no affect or concern over the implications of their symptoms, histrionic/ dramatic presentation- experience disorder (overreact, sky is falling) Highly suggestible (symptoms result of stress but can be resolved if stressors removed, what"s going on around affects symptoms) Major depressive disorder, personality disorder, dissociative disorder. Prevalence: women 2-10 times more likely to present symptoms. Symptoms don"t typically conform to known anatomical pathways.