Psychology 2075 Quiz: Somatoform Disorders

• School: Western University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: Psychology 2075
• Professor: Dr.Mike

Document Summary

Psychosomatic diseases involve genuine physical ailments caused in part by psychological factors, especially reactions to stress. Somatoform disorders are physical ailments that cannot be fully explained by organic conditions and are largely due to psychological factors. Deliberate feigning of illness for personal gain is called malingering. People with somatoform disorders typically seek treatment from physicians practicing neurology, internal medicine, or family medicine instead of from psychologists or psychiatrists. A somatization disorder is marked by a history of diverse physical complaints that appear to be psychological in origin. Victims report an endless succession of minor physical ailments that seem to wax and wane in response to the stress in their lives. Conversion disorder is characterized by a significant loss of physical function (with no apparent organic basis), usually in a single organ system. People with conversion disorder are usually troubled by more severe ailments than people with somatization disorder. Hypochondriacs constantly monitor their physical condition, looking for signs of illness.