PSYCH 3830 Chapter Notes - Chapter 6: Factitious Disorder, Fugue State, Retrograde Amnesia
9 May 2018
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Chapter 6 - Somatic Symptoms and Dissociative Disorders
Somatic symptom disorders - people with these disorders may experience significant physical
symptoms for which there is not apparent organic cause, but this seems to be the result of
psychological factors.
Psychological factors affecting other medical conditions - depression can exacerbate medical
diseases like cancer, heart disease, etc. This is when people have an actual, documented
physical illness or defect, such as high blood pressure, that is worsened by psychological
factors
Somatic symptom disorder - health concerns that are excessive given their actual physical
health, that persist even when they have evidence that they are well. When they experience a
symptom, they assume the worst.
Illness anxiety disorder - people with SSD actually experience physical symptoms and seek help
for the, whereas people with illness anxiety disorder worry that they will develop or have a
serious illness but do not always experience severe physical symptoms. Insist toxins from
environment are affecting their health conditions
BOTH
SSD and IAD - prone to periods of anxiety/depression. Their symptoms and health concerns
become their identity. More common in older adults. Grew up in the time when you could not
admit to depression so they would do it in somatic symptoms since being sick is a norm with old
age.
THEORIES
Cognitive - people with these disorders often have dysfunctional beliefs about illness
TREATMENTS
Psychodynamic therapies - to help people recall events and memories that may have triggered
their symptoms
Cognitive therapies - help people learn to interpret their physical symptoms
Conversion disorder - people with this disorder lose neurological functioning in a part of their
bodies, apparently not due to medical causes. Common symptoms: paralysis, blindness,
mutism, seizures, loss of hearing, severe loss of coordination. Psychological stress converted
into a physical symptom. Also called functional neurological symptom disorder.
THEORIES
The result of the transfer of the psychic energy attached to repressed emotions or memories to
physical symptoms.
Factitious Disorder - person deliberately fakes an illness to gain medical attention and to play
the sick role.
*hypnosis
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