Psychology Study Material: Major Categories of Disorders in DSM-IV-TR: Somatoform Disorders
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Major Categories of Disorders in DSM-IV-TR
Somatoform Disorders
A disorder in which psychological problems take the physical (somatic) form without any apparent physical cause; a state where there are physical symptoms present but no medical cause.
Symptoms include
- Blurred vision,
- Dizziness,
- Vomiting,
- Difficulty in swallowing etc
There are two types of somatoform disorders.
- Hypochondriasis
- Conversion disorders
Hypochondriasis
Type of somatoform disorder in which the person experiences a persistent fear of illness and is preoccupied by health concerns even minor pains and aches may be interpreted as a symptom of some serious disease.
Symptoms involve
- In this disorder doctor shopping is very frequent.
- Sympathy may exaggerate these complaints.
- Patient undergoes surgery and regularly takes medication.
- Patient focuses closely on normal physiological states such as rapid heartbeat, sweating, palpitations etc; patient interprets it as some severe disease.
- Minor health problems may become severe as a result of persistent stress and discomfort
Conversion Disorders
- Disorder in which the person undergoes an actual, genuine and specific, physical problem and disturbance, the problem has a purely psychological reason and there is no biological cause involved. The problem manifests itself suddenly, without any prior indication.
- Unexplainable neurological symptoms appear at once when no testable cause is present.
Symptoms include
- Partial blindness.
- Loss of voluntary control over motor and sensory functions.
- Inability to hear and talk.
- Sudden display of emotions: and at times there is no emotion.
- Symptoms may be exaggerated by stress.
- The sufferers frequently do not show a natural concern about the symptoms.
Causes include
- Hereditary component and observational learning.
- A state of severe stress
- People who have other organic problems may develop conversion disorder
- A prior knowledge of the disease and symptoms is there.