Deck 10: Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders

Question 1

Ebony Stover is a 59 year-old grandmother who recently had a reoccurrence of breast cancer with metastases to the bone causing persistent pain. She has been treated with medications that result in hot flashes. Prior to the reoccurrence, Ebony had been employed as part-time as a housekeeper but because of her current symptoms she has not been able to work. She is surrounded by her family - especially her daughters and granddaughters - who are a source of comfort to her. For them, Ebony maintains a stoical and hopeful outlook on her prognosis. What would be the appropriate diagnosis to consider for Ebony?

A)Illness anxiety disorder
B)Somatic symptom disorder
C)Pain disorder
D)None

Answer 1

D

Question 2

The diagnosis of illness anxiety disorder is more prevalent women in than in men.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Issues of secondary gain need to be evaluated and, fi present, are to be gently addressed when working with a client who has a somatic symptom disorder.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Conversion disorder can appear at any age.

Question 5

All of the following disorders are classified under the classification of somatic symptom and related disorders in the DSM-5 except:

A)Somatic symptom disorder
B)Illness anxiety disorder
C)Conversion disorder
D)Pain disorder

Question 6

Zachary Dunlap was playing tag football at a family reunion picnic. He sustained severe damage to his ankle and required several months of physical therapy and rehabilitation. His physical therapist reports that he has made tremendous progress and his mobility has returned to normal. However Zachary is extremely anxious about the condition of his ankle and complains of great pain if he has been on his feet for most of the day - and this is not unusual given his occupation as a mail carrier. He constantly worries about his mobility despite the reality that his orthopedic physician does not believe that Zachary's ankle trauma should continue to limit his abilities. Zachary is not sure his doctor is telling him the full story and he has an appointment scheduled with another physician. What disorder does Zachary's thoughts and behaviors suggest?

A)Illness anxiety disorder
B)Conversion disorder
C)Factitious disorder
D)Somatic symptom disorder

Question 7

Which of the following is not a specifier for conversion disorder?

A)With weakness or paralysis
B)With abnormal movement
C)With swallowing symptoms
D)With predominant pain

Question 8

For the past 7 months LaSonya Hill, age 32, has complained of pain, gastrointestinal, sexual, and pseudo neurological symptoms which are not better explained by a known medical condition. What would be your beginning diagnosis?

A)Pain disorder
B)Autonomic arousal disorder
C)Somatic Symptom disorder
D)Illness anxiety disorder

Question 9

If the social worker encounters someone with a pattern of behavior that can be diagnosed as a general medical disorder but the major difference is that the individual deliberately and consciously seeks to obtain a reward or avoid some unpleasant situation, what would be the most likely diagnosis to consider?

A)Malingering disorder
B)Somatic symptom disorder
C)Conversion disorder
D)Factitious disorder imposed on another

Question 10

How many somatic symptoms are required to meet criteria for the diagnosis of somatic symptom disorder?

A)Seven symptoms distributed among several organ systems
B)One
C)At least one symptom that has no underlying medical explanation
D)None

Question 11

Which of the following features characterize somatic symptom disorder?

A)Distressing somatic symptoms and abnormal thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in response to these symptoms
B)Medically unexplained somatic symptoms
C)One or more symptoms of altered voluntary motor or sensory function
D)A medical symptom or condition other than a mental disorder is present

Question 12

A physician treated Andronious Onassis because he initially presented with paralysis and loss of sensation on the left side of his body; blindness and deafness were also reported. After a completed, and comprehensive medical work-up there was no evidence of any disease process. Andronious' symptoms suggest:

A)Conversion disorder
B)Factitious disorder
C)Dissociative identity disorder
D)Illness anxiety disorder

Question 13

Imagine for a moment that you encounter a client with a high level of anxiety about having a disease and many associated somatic symptoms. What would be the most likely diagnosis to consider?

A)Factitious disorder
B)Somatic symptom disorder
C)Illness anxiety disorder
D)Factitious disorder

Question 14

Identify in your answer the common link found among the various somatic symptom and related disorders.

A)The disorders all originate from anxiety
B)The disorders share a common feeling of fear
C)The individual is pathologically concerned with the functioning of their body rather than the absence of a medical explanation
D)The etiology is understood as a biological vulnerability

Question 15

Catherine Connally is a 48 year-old woman who has quite an attractive fair and freckled complexion. Unfortunately, she has a strong family history of skin cancer and remembers her grandmother's tragic death from untreated melanoma. Over the past few years, Catherine has started visiting her dermatologist every few weeks to be evaluated for skin cancer. She is preoccupied with the presentation of the freckles on different parts of her body and worries over the smallest patch of dry skin This serves as evidence for Catherine that she has a form of skin cancer. She is constantly checking her face, eyes, and ears despite not having any discoloration, changes in the size of her freckles of concern), sores or bleeding, or other somatic symptoms. She does have a history of an anxiety disorder. Would be the most likely diagnosis to consider for Catherine?

A)Somatic symptom disorder
B)Factitious disorder
C)Illness anxiety disorder
D)Generalized anxiety disorder
True/False Questions:

Question 16

Andre Fournier has had a preoccupation with fears of having a serious life-threatening disease. He has consulted many doctors over the past several years about this. According to Andre, there has been no evidence of any viable disease process going on for him and he states, "While all the docs tell me that I'm perfectly fine, I know they're wrong. They just haven't found my cancer yet". Andre's preoccupation with his health is indicative of:

A)Obsessive compulsive disorder
B)Illness anxiety disorder
C)Anxiety disorder due to another medical condition
D)Generalized anxiety disorder

Question 17

Someone with illness anxiety disorder is preoccupied with having or acquiring a serious illness. In some cases, the individual is constantly seeking medical care, changing doctors, and/or undergoing tests and procedures. What specifier would support this pattern?

A)Care-avoidant type
B)Care-seeking type
C)With predominant pain
D)With mixed symptoms

Question 18

All of the somatic symptom and related disorders, share a common feature: prominence of somatic symptoms associated with significant distress and impairment.

Question 19

One common category of conversion disorder symptoms is problems with sensation.

Question 20

All of the following are symptoms of somatic symptom disorder except:

A)Multiple physical complaints which occur over a period of several years
B)Inability to recall important personal/relevant information about one's medical history
C)The person's symptoms may or may not be associated with another medical condition
D)The individual's suffering is authentic, whether or not it is medically explained

Question 21

"La Belle indifference" or the lack of apparent concern about the nature or implications of a symptom is not required for making the diagnosis of conversion disorder.

Question 22

Use the following terms to answer:

One who falsifies physical or psychological signs or symptoms, or induced injury or disease) associated with deception would most likely be diagnosed with ____________. Factitious disorder
Matching Items:

Question 23

Use the following terms to answer:

The somatic symptom disorder specifier used for individuals whose somatic symptoms predominately involve pain is called with ____________.

Question 25

Use the following terms to answer:

The diagnosis of someone with somatic symptom disorder who shows a persistent course of the illness characterized by severe symptoms, marked impairment, and a duration of 6 months or more) could be further refined with the specifier of ____________. Persistent

Question 26

Use the following terms to answer:

Someone with illness anxiety disorder who constantly seeks medical care, including multiple visits to the doctor or undergoing tests and procedures, could be specified as ____________.

Question 27

Complaints about vision and normal examinations are consistent with the diagnosis of conversion disorder, specifically for the anesthesia or sensory loss specifier

Question 28

Use the following terms to answer:

One of the sensory symptoms of conversion disorder involves difficulties swallowing or the feeling of having something stuck in the throat and is popularly known as globus hystericus or simply called globus which is specified as with ____________.

Question 29

Light-headedness upon standing up is a symptom that is not seen in the diagnosis of conversion disorder.

Question 30

Use the following terms to answer:

_______________ disorder is characterized by a pattern of recurrent, long-standing somatic/physical symptoms, and occurring over a period of several years.

Question 31

Use the following terms to answer:

In _______________ disorder, the individual fears that they have a serious and/or life-threatening physical illness in which they dispute medical evidence and reassurance to the contrary.