# Somatic Disorders --- body problems caused by mind disorders. the body doctors can't find the source of the problems so they toss them over to the mind doctors. where do we place the locus of the problem. Two problems: just because we can't find the cause doesn't mean there isn't one. and two, the mind/body distinction is a false dichotomy. It's all connected The first three the symptoms are real, the distress is real. somatic symptom disorder illness anxiety disorder used to be called a hypochondriac they have these symptoms, they're just disproportionately anxious about it Preoccupation with having or acquiring a serious illness Somatic symptoms are real, but mild or typical bodily sensations. • If another medical illness is present, preoccupation is higher than expected • High anxiety related to health Excessive health-related behaviors —internet, may have lots of visits or avoid Illness preoccupation > 6 months • Preoccupation may change/shift over time Care seeking type Care avoidant type conversion disorder (**functional neurological disorder**) neurological symptoms with no medical cause also understand this is a false distinction, the mind and the body are inextricably connected. "Havana syndrome" blindness or paralysis the most common you'll see are "**pseudo-seizures**" or "non-epileptic convulsive event" someone looks like they're having seizure, but we don't think they are sometimes people will just choose to lay on the floor and shake, that happens. some people are not actively faking it, these are the people experiencing a non-epileptic convulsive event. factitious disorder This one, they are lying. we used to call this munchousen syndrome sometimes they are doing with this for no gain, but if there is a gain we call this "malingering" which is different from factitious disorder. factitious disorder imposed on another functional neurological disorder ## Somatic Symptom Disorders Somatic symptom disorder is a syndrome of multiple somatic symptoms that cannot be explained med- ically and are associated with psychosocial distress and frequent visits to health-care professionals to seekassistance. Symptoms may be vague, dramatized, or exaggerated in presentation, and an excessive amount of time and energy is devoted to worry and concern about the s toms. Individuals with somatic s m - `quote` Somatic symptom disorder (SSD), also known as somatization disorder, is a mental health condition characterized by an excessive focus on physical symptoms. People with SSD often experience multiple physical symptoms, such as pain, fatigue, shortness of breath, or digestive problems. These symptoms may be real, but they are often exaggerated or out of proportion to the underlying medical condition. People with SSD may also have difficulty accepting medical explanations for their symptoms. They may be convinced that they have a serious medical condition, even when doctors have ruled out all possible physical causes for their symptoms. SSD can have a significant impact on a person's life. It can lead to social isolation, difficulty working, and financial problems. It can also lead to unnecessary medical tests and procedures. `end quote` cation. There are similarities in these two disorders, but in somatic symptom disorder, the primary symptom is significant somatic sensations, whereas in illness anxi- ety disorder, there are few to no somatic symptoms but anxiety or fear about having or acquiring an illness is a Factitious disorder imposed on another is most often perpetrated by mothers against infants but accounts for less than 0.04 percent of reported cases of child abuse in the United States (Sadock et al., 2015). (re:munchoussen) ## Treatment Treatment for somatic symptom disorder consists of ## Nursing Considerations ___