Other Disorders
Somatic Symptom Disorder
A psychological disorder in which the symptoms take a somatic (bodily) form without apparent physical cause.
Symptoms of somatic symptom disorder may be:
Specific sensations, such as pain or shortness of breath, or more general symptoms, such as fatigue or weakness
Unrelated to any medical cause that can be identified, or related to a medical condition such as cancer or heart disease, but more significant than what's usually expected
Pain is the most common symptom, but whatever your symptoms, you have excessive thoughts.
thoughts, feelings and behaviors can include:
Constant worry about potential illness
Viewing normal physical sensations as a sign of severe physical illness
Fearing that symptoms are serious, even when there is no evidence
Thinking that physical sensations are threatening or harmful
Feeling that medical evaluation and treatment have not been adequate
Fearing that physical activity may cause damage to your body
Repeatedly checking your body for abnormalities
Treatments
Psychotherapy
Medication
Conversion Disorder
A disorder in which a person experiences very specific genuine physical symptoms for which no physiological basis can be found.
Signs and symptoms that affect body movement and function may include:
Weakness or paralysis
Abnormal movement, such as tremors or difficulty walking
Loss of balance
Difficulty swallowing or feeling "a lump in the throat"
Seizures or episodes of shaking and apparent loss of consciousness (nonepileptic seizures)
Episodes of unresponsiveness
Signs and symptoms that affect the senses may include:
Numbness or loss of the touch sensation
Speech problems, such as the inability to speak or slurred speech
Vision problems, such as double vision or blindness
Hearing problems or deafness
Cognitive difficulties involving memory and concentration
Treatments
Learning about functional neurologic disorder
Medical disorder treatment
Therapies
Medications
Illness Anxiety Disorder
A disorder in which a person interprets normal physical sensations as symptoms of a disease.
Symptoms of illness anxiety disorder involve preoccupation with the idea that you're seriously ill, based on normal body sensations (such as a noisy stomach) or minor signs (such as a minor rash). Signs and symptoms may include:
Being preoccupied with having or getting a serious disease or health condition
Worrying that minor symptoms or body sensations mean you have a serious illness
Being easily alarmed about your health status
Finding little or no reassurance from doctor visits or negative test results
Worrying excessively about a specific medical condition or your risk of developing a medical condition because it runs in your family
Having so much distress about possible illnesses that it's hard for you to function
Repeatedly checking your body for signs of illness or disease
Frequently making medical appointments for reassurance — or avoiding medical care for fear of being diagnosed with a serious illness
Avoiding people, places or activities for fear of health risks
Constantly talking about your health and possible illnesses
Frequently searching the internet for causes of symptoms or possible illnesses
Treatments
psychotherapy
medications
Dissociative Disorders
Disorders in which conscious awareness becomes separated (dissociated) from previous memories, thoughts, and feelings.
Signs and symptoms depend on the type of dissociative disorders you have, but may include:
Memory loss (amnesia) of certain time periods, events, people and personal information
A sense of being detached from yourself and your emotions
A perception of the people and things around you as distorted and unreal
A blurred sense of identity
Significant stress or problems in your relationships, work or other important areas of your life
Inability to cope well with emotional or professional stress
Mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors
Treatments
psychotherapy
medications
Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)
A rare dissociative disorder in which a person exhibits two or more distinct and alternating personalities.
Formerly known as multiple personality disorder, this disorder is characterized by "switching" to alternate identities. You may feel the presence of two or more people talking or living inside your head, and you may feel as though you're possessed by other identities. Each identity may have a unique name, personal history and characteristics, including obvious differences in voice, gender, mannerisms and even such physical qualities as the need for eyeglasses. There also are differences in how familiar each identity is with the others. People with dissociative identity disorder typically also have dissociative amnesia and often have dissociative fugue.
Treatments
psychotherapy
medications
Anorexia Nervosa
An eating disorder in which a person (usually an adolescent female) maintains a starvation diet despite being significantly (15 percent or more) underweight.
Physical signs and symptoms of anorexia may include:
Extreme weight loss or not making expected developmental weight gains
Thin appearance
Abnormal blood counts
Fatigue
Insomnia
Dizziness or fainting
Bluish discoloration of the fingers
Hair that thins, breaks or falls out
Soft, downy hair covering the body
Absence of menstruation
Constipation and abdominal pain
Dry or yellowish skin
Intolerance of cold
Irregular heart rhythms
Low blood pressure
Dehydration
Swelling of arms or legs
Eroded teeth and calluses on the knuckles from induced vomiting
Some people who have anorexia binge and purge, similar to individuals who have bulimia. But people with anorexia generally struggle with an abnormally low body weight, while individuals with bulimia typically are normal to above normal weight.
Behavioral symptoms of anorexia may include attempts to lose weight by:
Severely restricting food intake through dieting or fasting
Exercising excessively
Bingeing and self-induced vomiting to get rid of food, which may include the use of laxatives, enemas, diet aids or herbal products
Emotional and behavioral signs and symptoms may include:
Preoccupation with food, which sometimes includes cooking elaborate meals for others but not eating them
Frequently skipping meals or refusing to eat
Denial of hunger or making excuses for not eating
Eating only a few certain "safe" foods, usually those low in fat and calories
Adopting rigid meal or eating rituals, such as spitting food out after chewing
Not wanting to eat in public
Lying about how much food has been eaten
Fear of gaining weight that may include repeated weighing or measuring the body
Frequent checking in the mirror for perceived flaws
Complaining about being fat or having parts of the body that are fat
Covering up in layers of clothing
Flat mood (lack of emotion)
Social withdrawal
Irritability
Insomnia
Reduced interest in sex
Treatments
Hospitalization and other programs
Medical care
Restoring a healthy weight
Psychotherapy
Medications
Bulimia Nervosa
An eating disorder in which a person alternates binge eating (usually of high-calorie foods) with purging (by vomiting or laxative use), excessive exercise, or fasting.
Symptoms
Bulimia signs and symptoms may include:
Being preoccupied with your body shape and weight
Living in fear of gaining weight
Repeated episodes of eating abnormally large amounts of food in one sitting
Feeling a loss of control during bingeing — like you can't stop eating or can't control what you eat
Forcing yourself to vomit or exercising too much to keep from gaining weight after bingeing
Using laxatives, diuretics or enemas after eating when they're not needed
Fasting, restricting calories or avoiding certain foods between binges
Using dietary supplements or herbal products excessively for weight loss
Treatments
Psychotherapy
Medications
Nutrition education
Hospitalization
Binge-Eating Disorder
Significant binge-eating episodes, followed by distress, disgust, or guilt, but without the compensatory purging or fasting that marks bulimia nervosa.
Symptoms
Most people with binge-eating disorder are overweight or obese, but you may be at a normal weight. Behavioral and emotional signs and symptoms of binge-eating disorder include:
Eating unusually large amounts of food in a specific amount of time, such as over a two-hour period
Feeling that your eating behavior is out of control
Eating even when you're full or not hungry
Eating rapidly during binge episodes
Eating until you're uncomfortably full
Frequently eating alone or in secret
Feeling depressed, disgusted, ashamed, guilty or upset about your eating
Frequently dieting, possibly without weight loss
Treatments
Psychotherapy
Medications
Behavioral weight-loss programs
Personality Disorders
Psychological disorders characterized by inflexible and enduring behavior patterns that impair social functioning.
There are three cluster types for personality disorders, Cluster A, B, and C.
Cluster A includes
Paranoid personality disorder
Schizoid personality disorder
Schizotypal personality disorder
Cluster B includes
Antisocial personality disorder
Borderline personality disorder
Histrionic personality disorder
Narcissistic personality disorder
Cluster C includes
Avoidant personality disorder
Dependent personality disorder
Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder
Antisocial Personality Disorder
A personality disorder in which a person (usually a man) exhibits a lack of conscience for wrongdoing, even toward friends and family members. May be aggressive and ruthless or a clever con artist.
Symptoms
Disregard for others' needs or feelings
Persistent lying, stealing, using aliases, conning others
Recurring problems with the law
Repeated violation of the rights of others
Aggressive, often violent behavior
Disregard for the safety of self or others
Impulsive behavior
Consistently irresponsible
Lack of remorse for behavior
Treatments
Psychotherapy
Medications
Hospital and residential treatment programs
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