Psychology 2030A/B Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Somatic Symptom Disorder, Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures, Conversion Disorder

• School: Western University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: Psychology 2030A/B
• Professor: David Vollick

Document Summary

Characterized by excessive thoughts, feelings and behaviours related to somatic symptoms, people experience real physical symptoms, but pain cannot be explained by medical condition. Confusing to diagnose before patients do not share underlying emotion or common etiology, they just have physical pain. Once called hysteria / b(cid:396)i(cid:395)uet"s sy(cid:374)d(cid:396)o(cid:373)e, now called somatic symptom disorder. Common pain include back pain, chest pain, headaches, gastrointestinal distress, less common is pseudoneurological symptoms such as psychogenic seizures (very rare) ( sudden changes in behaviours that mimic epileptic seizures with no organic basis) Conversion disorder (functional neurological symptom disorder): altered motor and sensory function, symptoms can be dramatic, such as sudde(cid:374) paralysis, (cid:271)li(cid:374)d(cid:374)ess, (cid:374)ot i(cid:374)te(cid:374)tio(cid:374)ally produ(cid:272)ed, (cid:272)a(cid:374)"t (cid:271)e explained my medical reason. 10-15% of people with conversion disorder later found to have medical condition. People who have conversion disorder are not making up their symptoms (malingering).