What are the three somatic symptom disorders?
Characteristics of Somatoform Disorders
| Disorder | Essential characteristics |
|---|---|
| Undifferentiated somatoform disorder | ≥ Six months’ history |
| One or more unexplained physical symptoms | |
| Conversion disorder | Single unexplained symptom involving voluntary or sensory functioning |
| Pain disorder | Pain symptom is predominant focus |
What are the symptoms of conversion disorder?
Symptoms
- Weakness or paralysis.
- Abnormal movement, such as tremors or difficulty walking.
- Loss of balance.
- Difficulty swallowing or feeling “a lump in the throat”
- Seizures or episodes of shaking and apparent loss of consciousness (nonepileptic seizures)
- Episodes of unresponsiveness.
What is the main cause of somatic pain?
Somatic pain occurs when pain receptors in tissues (including the skin, muscles, skeleton, joints, and connective tissues) are activated. Typically, stimuli such as force, temperature, vibration, or swelling activate these receptors.
Can anxiety cause somatic symptoms?
The emotional distress of anxiety is often accompanied by specific physical symptoms associated with a state of autonomic arousal, such as sweating, dizziness, and shortness of breath (most notable in patients with panic attacks), or more generalized somatic complaints, such as insomnia, restlessness, and muscle aches …
What is the best treatment for somatic symptom disorder?
Cognitive behavior therapy and mindfulness-based therapy are effective for the treatment of somatic symptom disorder. Amitriptyline, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, and St. John’s wort are effective pharmacologic treatments for somatic symptom disorder.
What is the best treatment for conversion disorder?
Some of the more commonly recommended treatments include:
- Psychological therapy, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).
- Hypnosis.
- Stress management training to make symptoms more manageable.
- Physical therapy for weak limbs, walking problems, other movement problems.
- Occupational therapy.
- Speech therapy.
Can a person recover from conversion disorder?
People affected by conversion disorder generally make a full recovery. Even without treatment, symptoms are generally short-term, usually lasting a few days to a few weeks, and often resolve themselves. However, without treatment, recurrences are common.
What does somatic pain feel like?
Somatic pain can be deep or superficial, with the deeper pain coming from the skeletal structure, tendons, and muscles. It can be described as aching, cramping, gnawing, or even sharp. It usually appears in one area of the body, and movement can trigger it.
Is Fibromyalgia a somatic disorder?
In the wider literature, however, including non-US studies, fibromyalgia is considered to be one of a series of “medically unexplained syndromes.” These illnesses are sometimes called somatic symptom disorders (SSD) or functional somatic syndromes because the main symptoms, pain, fatigue, cognitive disturbance, and …
How do you get rid of somatic symptoms?
While somatic symptom disorder benefits from professional treatment, you can take some lifestyle and self-care steps, including these:
- Work with your care providers.
- Practice stress management and relaxation techniques.
- Get physically active.
- Participate in activities.
- Avoid alcohol and recreational drugs.
How do you treat somatic symptoms?
– Overly excessive and long-lasting thoughts about the seriousness of the symptoms – Continuously high levels of anxiety about health or symptoms – Extreme amount of time and energy focused on symptoms and health concerns
Why is somatic symptom disorder a difficult diagnosis?
The diagnosis of SSD is more difficult in the context of primary and specialist somatic care, where the common initial assumption of patient and doctor is usually that an underlying organic cause might be found that explains bodily symptoms.
What is an example of a somatic symptom disorder?
When somatic symptom disorder accompanies another medical disorder, patients overrespond to the implications of the medical disorder; for example, patients who have had complete physical recovery from an uncomplicated myocardial infarction (MI) may continue to behave as invalids or constantly worry about having another MI.
What is the treatment for somatic symptom disorder?
Talk Therapy. Talking to a therapist can be very helpful for somatic symptom disorder.