Lecture 5 - Dissociate Disorders and Somatoform Disorders

Question 1

What does dissociation mean?

Answer 1

disruption of the usual functions of conscious, memory, identity or perception

Question 2

what are the 3 DSM-5 dissociative diagnoses

Answer 2

dissociative amnesia, dissociative identity disorder and depersonalization disorder

Question 3

What diagnostic criteria for dissociative amnesia?

Answer 3

Inability to recall important autobiographical infromation, usually of traumatic or stressful nature, that is inconsistent with ordinary forgetfulness

Question 4

what are the subtypes of amnesia

Answer 4

localized
selective
generalized
continous

Question 5

what is localized amnesia

Answer 5

specific time period

Question 6

what is selective amnesia

Answer 6

parts of the trauma but not others

Question 7

what is generalized amnesia

Answer 7

all personal information from past

Question 8

what is continuous amnesia

Answer 8

all personal information from a certain point in past

Question 9

what is dissociative fugue specifier

Answer 9

amnesia plus apparently purposeful travel or bewildered wandering

Question 10

what are the 2 diagnostic criteria for depersonalization disorder

Answer 10

• persistent or recurrent experiences of feeling detached from, and as if one is an outside observer of one’s mental processes or body + during the depersonalization experience, reality testing remains intact

Question 11

what is the prevalence of depersonalization disorder?

Answer 11

extremely common, up to 50% people will experience an episode at some point, of those 1/3 when exposed to life-threatening danger

Question 12

What is the trauma model of Dissociative identity disorder (DID)

Answer 12

results from severe childhood trauma, causing the patient to use dissociation as an effective coping strategy (defense mechanism)

Question 13

What is the socio-cognitive model of DID

Answer 13

DID is essentially role-playing, reinforced by therapists and society due to suggestibility

Question 14

What is false-memory syndrome?

Answer 14

not a diagnosis. Memories from childhood that are repressed by dissociative amnesia are experienced as being “re-discovered” in therapy in adulthood….. highly controversial

Question 15

what are somatoform disorders?

Answer 15

physical symptoms that suggest a medical illness, but have no identifiable physical basis

Question 16

what are the diagnostic criteria of somatic symptom disorder?

Answer 16

1 or more somatic symptoms that are distressing or result in significant disruption of daily life
excessive thoughts, feeligng or behaviours related to the symptoms or health concerns
usually at least 6 months duracion

Question 17

what is important about somatic symptom disorder in terms of brain function

Answer 17

high levels of excitatory neurotransmitter activity

Question 18

What is conversion disorder?

Answer 18

• 1 or more symptoms of altered voluntary motor or sensory functinos
• not neurological/medical conditions

Question 19

conversion disorder is sometimes accompanied by

Answer 19

la belle indifference

Question 20

what is the new name for hypochondriasis

Answer 20

illness anxiety disorder

Question 21

what is the difference between illness anxiety disorder, OCD and specific phobias

Answer 21

• illness anxiety = anxiety due to belief the person HAS the disease
• OCD = rituals and worries of contamination of others
• specific phobias = anxiety about possibility of CONTRACTING illness

Question 22

What is factitious disorder?

Answer 22

Someone deliberately producing symptoms, but doing it because of a deep need for other people thinking their sick (not because of many or any other clear reason)

Question 23

What is pseudologia fantastic

Answer 23

found in factitious disorder. Means pathological lying about symptoms or history

Question 24

What is the prevalence of factitious disorder?

Answer 24

Very low, in hospital setting = 1%

Question 25

What is factitious disorder imposed on another

Answer 25

Also called Munchausen, victim is usually a child

Question 26

What is malingering

Answer 26

A v-code (not a mental illness, but may be focus of clinical attention) - intentionally faking illness, psychological problems or cognitive difficulties for material gain