Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders

Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders

These disorders sit at the boundary between the mind and the body. The core idea is that psychological distress shows up as physical symptoms — or as intense worry about having a physical illness — even when no medical condition can explain what the person is experiencing. The suffering is real, but its origin is psychological, not organic.

Somatic Symptom Disorder is the central condition in this group. The person experiences body-related symptoms — pain, fatigue, nausea, or other physical complaints — that cause significant distress or impairment. The key point is that these symptoms occur in the absence of any medical condition that could account for them. Even if a medical condition is present, it is not as serious as the symptoms the person presents. The person’s suffering is genuine, but the cause lies in psychological factors, not in a physical disease.

Illness Anxiety Disorder is different. Here, the person does not necessarily have physical symptoms. Instead, they experience intense worry about the possibility of developing a serious medical condition. They may misinterpret normal bodily sensations (like a slight headache or a racing heart) as signs of a catastrophic illness. The anxiety itself becomes the problem, even though no serious disease is present.

Conversion Disorder involves a loss or impairment of motor or sensory function — for example, paralysis, blindness, or inability to speak — that has no physical cause. The symptoms are real, but they are a response to stress and psychological problems, not to damage in the nervous system. The person may suddenly become unable to move a limb or see, yet medical tests show nothing wrong. The body has “converted” psychological conflict into a physical symptom.

Dissociative Disorders

Dissociative disorders involve a disruption in the normally integrated functions of consciousness, memory, identity, or perception of the environment. The person feels disconnected from themselves or from reality.

Dissociative Amnesia is the inability to recall important personal information, often related to a stressful or traumatic event. The extent of forgetting goes beyond normal forgetfulness. The person may be unable to remember specific events, people, places, or objects, while their memory for other events remains intact. A part of dissociative amnesia is dissociative fugue. The essential feature of fugue is an unexpected travel away from home or workplace, the assumption of a new identity, and the inability to recall the previous identity. The fugue usually ends when the person suddenly “wakes up” with no memory of the events that occurred during the fugue. This disorder is often associated with overwhelming stress.

Dissociative Identity Disorder (often called multiple personality disorder) is the most dramatic of the dissociative disorders. The person exhibits two or more separate and contrasting personalities. These alternate personalities may or may not be aware of each other. This disorder is often associated with traumatic experiences in childhood, particularly a history of abuse. Each personality may have its own name, age, memories, and mannerisms. …