AP PSYCHOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Overview. Somatic symptom disorder is characterized by an extreme focus on physical symptoms-such as pain or fatigue-that causes major emotional distress and problems functioning.

Detailed explanation-2: -Somatic symptom disorder is diagnosed when a person has a significant focus on physical symptoms, such as pain, weakness or shortness of breath, to a level that results in major distress and/or problems functioning. The individual has excessive thoughts, feelings and behaviors relating to the physical symptoms.

Detailed explanation-3: -They include somatization disorder, undifferentiated somatoform disorder, hypochondriasis, conversion disorder, pain disorder, body dysmorphic disorder, and somatoform disorder not otherwise specified. These disorders often cause significant emotional distress for patients and are a challenge to family physicians.

Detailed explanation-4: -Factitious disorder is a mental disorder in which a person acts as if they have a physical or psychological illness when they themselves have created the symptoms.

Detailed explanation-5: -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.