Psychophysiological

 &  
Medical  Disorders    
 Somatoform  Disorders  

•  Psychological  conflicts  translated  into  physical  

complaints  

•  No  physical  basis  or  abnormality  to  explain  the  

illness  
Disorders  of  Misperceived  
Physical  Symptoms  
 Body  Dysmorphic  Disorder  
•  Delusional  preoccupa>on  with  specific  body  
feature  
•  Sufferer’s  will  go  to  almost  any  length  to  
change  their  body  
•  Others  typically  do    not  rate  the  body  part  in  
ques>on  as  abnormal  
 Hypochondriasis    
•  Extreme  mispercep>ons  about  normal  bodily  
func>ons  and  sensa>ons  
•  Excessive  fears  about  major  physical  illnesses  
Real  Physical  Problems  with  No  
Medical  Basis  
 Conversion  Disorder  

•  Transla>on  of  psychological  conflicts  into  a  

single  physical  complaint  
–  Involuntary  loss  of  physical  func>on    
•  Motor  
•  Sensory  
•  Seizures  
•  Paralysis    
•  “La  Belle  Indifference”  
 Soma>za>on  Disorder  
•  Mul>ple,  recurrent  physical  complaints  w/o  
medical  basis  
•  Compulsive  help-­‐seeking  behavior  &  
limited  insight  
–  Pain  (back,  headache,  muscle)  
–  GI  problems  
•  Not  inten>onally  produced  
–  Chronic  Fa>gue,  mul>ple  chemical  sensi>vity,  
asthma,  allergies-­‐  psychological  causes  likely?  
 Disorders  with  Fake  or  
Manufactured  Symptoms  
 Fac>>ous  Disorder  

•  Also  known  as  Munchausen’s  Disorder  

•  Inten>onally  crea>ng  illness  in  self  for  the  
a[en>on  of  being  “sick”  
–  Secondary  gain-­‐  e.g.  a[en>on  
–  Not  primary  gain-­‐  e.g.  to  miss  work  or  get  
money