Describe somatic symptom disorders and how they differ from a physical illness. Give two examples of a somatic symptom disorder and describe the primary symptoms of each.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Somatic symptom disorders are associated with excessive fear over or concern with one's body and health. These disorders may involve physical symptoms that cannot be explained medically. People with somatic symptom disorders experience their symptoms as real and believe that they are in great medical danger, but an illness does not actually exist-there is no medical explanation. This is in contrast to a person with a physical illness that has a medical cause. One type of somatic symptom disorder is illness anxiety disorder. A person with illness anxiety disorder-someone usually in early adulthood-has an intense fear of having or acquiring a serious illness, despite assurances from the doctor that there is no illness. People with this disorder often do not realize that their behavior is excessive. They will experience their symptoms for at least six months, and their preoccupation with their health persists regardless of the number of reassurances and medical tests they receive. Conversion disorder involves a diagnosable bodily symptom, but the cause of the problem is not medical-it is triggered by psychological stress. Anxiety is converted into real physical symptoms, which may involve motor or sensory functioning in the body, causing problems such as blindness, paralysis, deafness, which have no physical cause. A person with conversion disorder is not intentionally creating the problem or trying to get sympathy. The symptoms start after a traumatic event and last approximately two weeks.