Abnormal Psychology Chapter 8 conversion disorder

Psychological factors of Conversion Disorder

self hypnosis

Social Factors of Conversion disorder

Life stressors -combat -abuse

Conversion Disorder is characterized by 3 symptoms

1. Motor symptoms - tremors, tics, jerks, muscle spasms, staggering that worsen when attention is paid to them 2. Sensory symptoms - blindness, double vision, deafness, auditory hallucinations 3. Seizures - twitching or jerking of some part of the body and loss of consciousness with uncontrollable spasms of the large muscles of the body, >Known as nonepileptic seizures because they do not have a neurological origin and are unaffected by seizure medication

Treating Somatic Disorders

>>SSRIs or St. John's Wort may be used to treat some anxiety related symptoms of somatic symptom disorders although there has not been a great deal of research for this treatment >>CBT is the psychological treatment of choice as the focus is on identifying and modifying irrational thoughts and shifting attention away from the body and bodily symptoms. >>Support from the therapist in terms of understanding the pain and distress of the patient can be effective. >>Treatment may also focus on the family - psychoeducation.

Psychological factors of illness anxiety disorder

>Biases in reasoning >>They tend to seek evidence of health threats and may fail to consider evidence that such threats are minimal or nonexistent >>They focus on unpleasant sensations like a sore throat >>They may engage in catastrophic thinking

Conversion Disorder

>Involves sensory or motor symptoms that are incompatible or inconsistent with known neurological or medical conditions >>Patients who have conversion disorder do not consciously produce the symptoms they experience (as in factitious disorder or malingering) >>Diagnosis is made after all possible medical causes are ruled out

Neurological factors of Conversion Disorder

>Neuroimaging findings suggest that muscle weakness arising from conversion disorder is not the same as consciously simulated muscle weakness. > fMRI studies suggest that some patients with conversion disorder develop sensory deficits and have weakness and sometimes paralysis of a limb

Social factors of illness anxiety disorders

>Traumatic sexual experience >Physical violence >Major familial upheaval

neurological factors of Illness anxiety disorder

Serotonin may not be functioning properly in at least some cases of hypochondriasis >>This is supported by the fact that SSRIs can improve the symptoms (but we know that it is likely a complex interaction of neurotransmitters)

illness anxiety disorder

a fear or belief of having serious disease, but this preoccupation arises because the individual has misinterpreted his or her bodily sensations or symptoms >>Patients persist or cling strongly to their conviction that they have a serious disease despite medical evidence to the contrary >>The person must have had preoccupation with a perceived health problem for at least six months and caused significant distress or impairment in functioning