PSYB32H3 Chapter 7: Chapter 7 covered in week 6 of FALL 2010 semester
Document Summary
In somatoform disorders, there are physical symptoms for which no biological basis can be found. The sensory and motor dysfcns of conversion disorder, 1 of 2 principal types of somatoform disorders, suggest neurological impairments, but ones that do not always make anatomical sense; they symptoms do, however, seem to serve some psychological purpose. In somatisation disorder, multiple physical complaints, no adequately explained by physical disorder or injury, lead to freq visits to physicians, hospitalization, and even unnecessary surgery. Anxiety plays a role in somatoform disorders, but it is not expressed overtly; instead, it is transformed into physical symptoms. Theory concerning the etiology of these disorders is speculative and focuses primarily on conversion disorder. Psychoanalytic theory proposes that in conversion disorder, repressed impulses are converted into physical symptoms. Behavioural theories focus on the conscious and deliberate adoption of the symptoms as a means of obtaining a desired goal.
