Somatic and Dissociative Disorders

Teddy wakes up with a slight pain in his neck one day. He worries that this means that he has a brain tumor.  He spends the rest of the day researching his symptoms online and making 3 doctors appointments to be seen about this potential tumor.  Even though the pain Teddy had only lasted for 1 hour on 1 day, he tells his friends and family about likely having a brain tumor.  Teddy is most likely to have

• Somatic symptom disorder

• Conversion disorder

• Illness anxiety disorder

• dissociative identity disorder

Answer explanation

Remember that illness anxiety disorder involves mild somatic symptoms or no somatic symptoms while somatic symptom disorder involves one or more somatic symptoms. symptoms or no symptoms

A sense of being separated from your body and watching yourself with a sense of detachment is a symptom of

• Somatic symptom disorder

• Conversion disorder

• Illness anxiety disorder

• Dissociation

Answer explanation

dissociation means discontinuity in the normal connection between consciousness, memory, identity, emotion, perception, body representation, motor control and behavior

A conversion disorder is most likely to be characterized by

• Alternations between extreme hopelessness and unrealistic optimism

• A continuous state of tensions, apprehension, and autonomic nervous system arousal

• Offensive and unwanted thoughts that persistently preoccupy a person

• Very specific physical symptoms that have no apparent physiological basis

• Persistent, preoccupying thoughts that have no basis in reality

Answer explanation

Conversion disorder is similar to somatic symptom disorder except that there is the specificity of one or more symptoms of altered voluntary motor or sensory function.

Misinterpreting normal physical sensations as symptoms of a dreaded disease is indicative of

• Somatic symptom disorder

• conversion disorder

•  illness anxiety disorder

• dissociative identity disorder

Answer explanation

Illness anxiety disorder is characterized by: Preoccupation with having or acquiring a serious illness,

Somatic symptoms are not present or are very mild.  

High level of anxiety about health and easily alarmed by health status. 

Disruptions in conscious awareness and sense of identity are most characteristic of ____________

• Somatic symptom disorder

• conversion disorder

• illness anxiety disorder

• dissociative identity disorder

Paul has persistent, extreme fatigue and has had to quit his job as a construction worker because he is too tired to work a full day.  He is worried that he is probably getting cancer.  He has been to several specialists who have explained that the extreme fatigue he experiences is probably not a serious problem and have given him supplements to take and things to do to help alleviate the fatigue.  He, however, still feels that the fatigue is the sign of a very bad illness.  Paul probably has

• Somatic symptom disorder

• conversion disorder

•  illness anxiety disorder

• dissociative identity disorder

Answer explanation

this is somatic symptom disorder b/c Paul does have a distressing somatic symptom. It's not conversion disorder b/c it doesn't involve altered motor or sensory function. It's not illness anxiety disorder because his fatigue is more than a mild symptom.

Rachel is convinced that her occasional mild headaches are caused by a malignant brain tumor.  Although several physicians have assured her that she has no serious physical problem, Rachel continues to seek medical attention for a brain tumor.  Her behavior provides an example of

• Somatic symptom disorder

• conversion disorder

•  illness anxiety disorder

• dissociative identity disorder

Answer explanation

this is illness anxiety disorder because the somatic symptoms are very mild and because she has a preoccupation with having a serious illness.

William, an airplane pilot, is unable to remember anything of a bombing raid in which his plane was severely damaged and two crew members were killed.  Because he himself suffered no physical injuries, psychologists suspect that William probably suffers from a 

• Somatic symptom disorder

• Conversion disorder

• Illness anxiety disorder

• Dissociative identity disorder

• Dissociative Amnesia

During a stressful military battle, Fong suddenly went blind.  When hypnotized by an army psychiatrist, his blindness vanished.  Fong apparently suffered from a

• Somatic symptom disorder

• Conversion disorder

• illness anxiety disorder

• dissociative identity disorder

• dissociative amnesia

Answer explanation

Going blind for a little bit is an example of a conversion disorder because it involves altered sensory function.

During a stressful military battle, Fong suddenly went blind.  When hypnotized by an army psychiatrist, his blindness vanished.  Fong apparently suffered from a

• Somatic symptom disorder

• Conversion disorder

• illness anxiety disorder

• dissociative identity disorder

• dissociative amnesia

Answer explanation

Going blind for a little bit is an example of a somatic symptom that involves altered sensory function.