What is conversion disorder?
- An illness of symptoms or deficits that affect voluntary motor or sensory functions (neurological)
- Suggest another medical condition, but that is judged to be caused by psychological factors because the illness is preceded by conflicts or other stressors.
What are the causes/gain of sxs in a pt with conversion disorder?
- Sxs are not intentionally produced
- Not caused by substance use
- Not limited to pain or sexual symptoms
- Gain is primarily psychological and not social, monetary, or legal
What is somatic symptom disorder?
- AKA hypochondriasis
- Characterized by 6 or more mos of a general and non-delusional preoccupation w/ fears/idea of having a serious disease based on the person’s misinterpretation of bodily symptoms.
A pt with somatic symptom disorder usually believes what?
They believe that they have a serious disease that has not yet been detected and they can not be persuaded to the contrary.
What is factitious disorder?
- Intentional
- A pt will simulate, induce, or aggravate illness to receive medical attention, regardless of whether or not they are ill. Thus, they may inflict painful, deforming, or even life-threatening injury on themselves, their children, or other dependents.
What is the primary motivation for factitious disorder?
- To receive medical care and to partake in the medical system.
- The primary motivation is NOT avoidance of duties, financial gain, or anything concrete.
Who is more affected my somatic symptom disorder, men or women? and what age range does this MC’ly appear?
- Men and women are equally affected
- MC’ly appears in persons 20 - 30 years of age.
What is the diagnostic criteria for somatic symptom disorder?
- 1 or more somatic symptoms that are distressing or result in significant disruption of daily life.
- Excessive thoughts, feelings, or behaviors related to the somatic symptoms or associated health concerns as manifested by at least 1 characteristic persistently for >6 mos
What are some somatic characteristics that a pt must have 1 of in order to be dx with somatic symptom disorder?
- Disproportionate and persistent thoughts about the seriousness of one’s sxs.
- Persistently high level of anxiety about health or sxs.
- Excessive time and energy devoted to these sxs or health concerns.
How would you distinguish between somatic symptom disorder from conversion disorder?
- Sxs of somatic symptom disorder cannot be demonstrated to be clearly incompatible with pathophysiology (e.g., pain, fatigue), whereas in conversion disorder, such incompatibility is required for the diagnosis.
- Excessive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors characterizing somatic symptom disorder are often absent in conversion disorder.
What are some clinical presentation of somatic symptom disorder?
- Prominent physical sxs may involve 1 or more organ systems and are associated with distress, impairment, or both.
- Longstanding somatic complaints, including multiple pain and gastrointestinal symptoms (such as dyspareunia, dysmenorrhea, headache, backache, abdominal pain, vomiting, bloating) and pseudoneurologic symptoms (such as amnesia or pseudoepileptic seizures)
