Chapter Ten: Disorders Featuring Somatic Symptoms

intentionally feigning illness to achieve some external gain

a disorder in which a person feigns or induces physical symptoms, typically for the purpose of assuming the role of a sick person

parents or caretakers make up or produce physical illnesses in their children

a disorder in which a person's bodily symptoms affect their voluntary motor and sensory functions, but the symptoms are inconsistent with known medical diseases

conversion symptom where numbness begins sharply at the wrist and extends evenly right to the fingertips

a disorder in which people become excessively distressed, concerned, and anxious about bodily symptoms they’re experiencing, and their lives are disproportionately disrupted by the symptoms

the individual experiences a large and varied number of bodily symptoms

the person’s primarily bodily problem is the experience of pain

each girl experiences sexual feelings for her father and at the same time recognizes that she must compete with her mother for his affection

bodily symptoms keep their internal conflicts out of awareness

their bodily symptoms further enable them to avoid unpleasant activities or to receive sympathy from others

a disorder in which people are chronically anxious about and preoccupied with the notion that they have or are developing a serious medical illness, despite the absence of somatic symptoms

disorders in which biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors interact to cause or worsen a physical illness

lesions that form in the wall of the stomach or of the duodenum

a disease marked by the narrowing of the trachea and bronchi, resulting in shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing, and a choking sensation

difficulty falling asleep or maintaining sleep

frequent intense aches of the head or neck that aren’t caused by another physical disorder

a headache caused by a narrowing of muscles surrounding the skull

a very severe headache that occurs on one side of the head, often preceded by a warning sensation and sometimes accompanied by dizziness, nausea, or vomiting

state of chronic high blood pressure

the blood vessels that surround the heart and are responsible for carrying oxygen to the heart muscle

a reluctance to express discomfort, anger, or hostility

the study of the connections between stress, the body’s immune system, and illness

the field of treatment that combines psychological and physical approaches to treat or prevent medical problems

a treatment procedure that teaches clients to relax at will so they can calm themselves in stressful situations

a technique in which a client is given info about physiological reactions as they occur and learns to control the reactions voluntarily

a device that provides feedback about the level of muscular tension in the body

technique of turning one’s concentration inward, achieving a slightly changed state of consciousness, and temporarily ignoring all stressors

a particular sound that people utter when meditating to help them focus their attention

a person pays attention to the feelings, thoughts, and sensations that are flowing through their mind during meditation, but they do so with detachment and objectivity and without judgment

people are guided by a hypnotist into a sleeplike, suggestible state during which they can be directed to act in unusual ways, feel unusual sensations, remember forgotten events, or forget remembered events

some people are able to induce their own hypnotic state with training

malingering

Munchausen syndrome

Lacey is suffering from Munchausen syndrome by proxy and is inducing Garnett’s seizures.

Someone with a factitious disorder consciously wants and purposely produces symptoms while someone with a conversion disorder doesn’t.

illness anxiety disorder