Abnormal Chapter 6

theories of conversion disorder

-Freud viewed conversion symptoms as the result of the transfer of the psychic energy attached to repressed emotions or memories to physical symptoms. reduction in anxiety is primary gain, attention from others is secondary gain -Behavioral therapies emphasize the role that conversion symptoms play in alleviating distress by removing the individual from difficult environments and allowing them to avoid unwanted responsibilities or situations -people with conversion disorder are highly hynotizable, supporting the idea that conversion symptoms result from spontaneous self-hypnosis -neurological models suggest that symptoms arise when sensory or motor areas of the brain are impaired by anxiety.

treatment for conversion disorder

-psychoanalytic treatment focuses on the expression of painful emotions and memories and insight into the relationship between these and the conversion symptoms -behavioral treatments focus on relieving the person's anxiety centered on the initial trauma that caused the conversion symptoms and reducing benefits the person is receiving from the symptoms

treatment of somatic and illness anxiety disorders

-psychodynamic therapies focus on providing insight into the connections between emotional and physical symptoms by helping people recall events and memories that may have triggered their symptoms -behavioral therapies attempt to determine the reinforcements individuals receive for their symptoms and health complaints and to eliminate the reinforcements while increasing positive rewards for healthy behavior -CBT focuses on identifying and challening illness beliefs and misinterpretations of physical sensations have shown some positive effects

theories of DID

-result of coping strategies used by persons faced with intolerable trauma, most often childhood sexual/physical abuse, that they are powerless to escape. -sociocognitive model argues that the alternate identities are created by patients who adopt the idea or narrative of dissociative identity disorder as an explanation that fits their lives. -DID may run in some families

theories of somatic and illness anxiety disorders

Cognitive: dysfunctional beliefs about illness. Runs in families, primarily among female relatives. May be part of PTSD

dissociative identity disorder (DID)

apparent presence of multiple personalities with distinct qualities (alters- host, persecutor, protector). typically report significant periods of amnesia, or blank spells. -PTSD is frequently comorbid with DID -most people with DID have been diagnosed with at least three other disorders in the past -Latinos more likely to experience dissociative symptoms

psychogenic amnesia

arises in the absence of any brain injury or disease and is thought to have psychological causes. rarely involved anterograde amnesia

organic amnesia

caused by brain injury resulting from disease, drugs, accidents, or surgery.

anterograde amnesia

form of organic amnesia, inability to remember new information

depersonalization/derealization disorder

frequent episodes during which they feel detached from their own mental processes or body, as if they are outside observers of themselves.

Somatic symptom disorder

has one or more distressing physical symptoms and spends a great deal of time and energy thinking about these symptoms and spends a great deal of time and energy thinking about these symptoms and seeking medical care for them. (gastrointestinal, pain, neurologcal, etc.) May avoid certain activities to avoid their symptoms

dissociative fugue

individual travels to a new place and may assume a new identity with no memory of his or her previous identity.

conversion disorder

loss of neurologic functioning in a part of their bodies, apparently not due to medical causes (paralysis, blindness, mutism, seizures, loss of hearing, severe loss of coordination, etc.). It is a "functional neurological symptom disorder" according to the DSM.

dissociative amnesia

people who have significant periods of amnesia without assuming new personalities or identities. cannot remember important facts about their lives and their personal identities and typically are aware of large gaps in their memory or knowledge of themselves.

factitious disorder

person deliberately fakes an illness specifically to fain medical attention and play the sick role. -malingering: fake a symptom or a disorder in order to avoid an unwanted situation (military draft) or to gain something (insurance payment). -imposed on another: individual falsifies an illness in another (child, pet, older adult)

dissociation

process in which components of mental experience are split off from consciousness but remain accessible through dreams and hypnosis

treatment of DID

the goal of treatment is integrating all the alter personalities into one coherent personality and helping the patient rebuild the capacity for trusting healthy relationships. achieved through "giving voice" to each identity and helping the identities become aware of one another, determining the function or role of each one, and helping each personality confront and work through the traumas that led to the disorder and the concerns each one has or represents

retrograde amnesia

the inability to remember information from the past, can have both organic or psychogenic causes. (ex- people in serious car accident can have retrograde amnesia for the few minutes just before the accident) -when due to organic causes, people usually forget everything about the past, including personal information, such as where they lived and the people they knew, as well as general information like who the president is. They typically retain memory of personal identity: may not remember their childrens names, but can remember their own

illness anxiety disorder

worry that they will develop or have a serious illness but do not always experience severe physical symptoms. but when they do have physical complaints, they become very alarmed and are more likely to seek immediate medical care