Question 1
Hypochondriasis, which would otherwise be considered as an illness anxiety disorder (IAD), occurs as a form of anxiety in which persons tend to have some sort of fear towards serious or life-threatening conditions that do not show symptoms or project mild symptoms. Persons that have been diagnosed with hypochondriasis tend to hold the belief that the symptoms they are showing are somewhat severe. Some of the key symptoms associated with hypochondriasis include excessive worry among patients with regard to having or getting an illness and high levels of anxiety. The main issue of consideration for patients with hypochondriasis is that they tend to have severe levels of anxiety concerning health status. Brown, Cardeña, Nijenhuis, Sar, & Van Der Hart (2007) argue that hypochondriasis can be classified as a somatoform considering that it is a condition that cannot be explained from a medical standpoint, which means that health professionals may have a significant challenge in trying to prove that indeed the patient suffers from a given condition.
Hypochondriasis differs from a conversion disorder because the latter occurs as a neurological symptom that medical professionals may not be able to trace or explain. Some of the key symptoms that can be associated with a conversion disorder are that the patient may experience blindness, hallucinations, or, in some of the severe cases, paralysis. From that perspective, it becomes clear that hypochondriasis may be viewed as being different from a conversion disorder, as it shows mild physical symptoms although one may hold the belief that these symptoms are more than can be seen. However, this is not the case for a conversion disorder, as patients that have been diagnosed with this condition do not show any physical symptoms that the doctor or health professional may use as part of trying to determine a patient’s health status.
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Question 2
Dissociative Identity Disorder occurs in instances where a patient shows signs of having split personalities, which in some cases may have two or more personalities that differ in terms of behaviors and characteristics. The disorder can be traced to exposure to long-term abuse, especially in children, which creates a situation where the children tend to develop multiple personalities to deal with the impacts of such abuse. On the other hand, exposure to some form of trauma may also have serious implications resulting in a situation where a patient may show signs of dissociative identity disorder. Trauma may arise in cases where patients are exposed to issues that include natural calamities, accidents, or stresses that can be associated with war or conflict (Morton, 2017). The outcome for such individuals is that it becomes hard or challenging for them to maintain a single personality, especially when exposed to some form of stress factor within their immediate environments.
Some of the common symptoms that can be associated with dissociative identity disorder include memory loss (in some of the severe cases), detachment from oneself, depression, and anxiety, and blurred recollection of specific events. That is especially common when dealing with instances with some of the patients may project or show signs of exposure to an environment that would cause them stress. The primary goal associated with the use of psychotherapeutic treatment for patients with dissociative identity disorder is that it will provide them with an avenue through which to deal with stressors (Morton, 2017). Additionally, this also allows them a viable channel through which to ensure that they are able to engage as part of their immediate environments. For most of the patients, this means that they would be able to interact with others freely while building on what would be considered as a positive way through which to deal with any stressors.
Question 3
Patients with a Somatic Symptom disorder tend to show specific behaviors, which would allow clinicians to suspect that indeed the patient may suffer from this disorder. The first key symptom to note is that the patient may show extreme levels of anxiety when dealing with physical symptoms. An example can be seen in instances where a patient is showing extreme anxiety due to some form of pain or fatigue, which would suggest that indeed the patient may be suffering from a Somatic Symptom disorder (Toussaint et al., 2016). The second key behavior that the clinician may look out for is whether the patient is experiencing intense thoughts or feelings, which may have interfered with his or her daily life for more than six months. Patients with a Somatic Symptom disorder tend to have deep thoughts or feelings, which create a situation where it becomes hard or challenging for them to engage in their regular lives.
The recommended treatment for this condition would involve cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) and mindfulness-based therapy. The two forms of therapy are essential for patients suffering from a Somatic Symptom disorder, as it ensures that they can adapt to their beliefs associated with the health or physical symptoms. The need for these patients to adapt to their belief is that it will help them avoid anxiety or stress due to specific health or physical sign (Toussaint et al., 2016). On the other hand, the therapies also provide patients with effective ways through which to learn what would be expected of them in ensuring that they can cope with physical symptoms. The general expectation of this is that it will enhance their abilities to engage in their daily activities in a rather effective way. Patients may also be recommended to take antidepressants, which would help in easing some of the symptoms associated with depression and pain.
Question 4
The three dissociative disorders, dissociative identity disorder, dissociative amnesia, and depersonalization/derealization disorder, share a wide array of symptoms that can be seen in patients that have been diagnosed with each of these disorders. The first symptom that is common is that the patients experience memory loss (amnesia), which reflects on specific events, people, or personal information (Sar, Alioğlu, & Akyuz, 2017). Memory loss is a common symptom associated with the three disorders considering that they all create a situation where it becomes hard or challenging for patients to keep track of their day-to-day events. The second symptom that is common among all the three dissociative disorders is that they all create a blurred sense of one’s identity considering that it becomes hard for one to maintain a connection to one particular identity (Sar, Alioğlu, & Akyuz, 2017). The fact that these patients are not able to deal with emotional stress creates a situation where it becomes somewhat challenging for them to maintain a clear connection with their identities.
The three dissociative disorders result from exposure to some form of trauma or traumatic event that creates the need for one to create an alternate personality to help deal with the impacts. For children, this may mean that they find themselves exposed to long-term physical or sexual abuse, which creates a high likelihood that these children may suffer from one of these dissociative disorders (Sar, Alioğlu, & Akyuz, 2017). The fear that the children develop with regard to the environments that expose them to abuse reflects more on the fact that the children may experience some form of challenge in trying to maximize on their alternate personalities. Ultimately, this means that the children would find themselves in a situation where it becomes somewhat challenging for them to maintain their original personalities. In adults, exposure to accidents, war, or natural disasters may serve as some of the key risk factors contributing to the situation at hand.
References
Brown, R. J., Cardeña, E., Nijenhuis, E., Sar, V., & Van Der Hart, O. (2007). Should conversion disorder be reclassified as a dissociative disorder in DSM–V?. Psychosomatics , 48 (5), 369-378.
Morton, J. (2017). Interidentity amnesia in dissociative identity disorder. Cognitive Neuropsychiatry , 22 (4), 315-330.
Sar, V., Alioğlu, F., & Akyuz, G. (2017). Depersonalization and derealization in a self-report and clinical interview: the spectrum of borderline personality disorder, dissociative disorders, and healthy controls. Journal of Trauma & Dissociation , 18 (4), 490-506.
Toussaint, A., Murray, A. M., Voigt, K., Herzog, A., Gierk, B., Kroenke, K., ... & Löwe, B. (2016). Development and validation of the Somatic Symptom Disorder–B Criteria Scale (SSD-12). Psychosomatic Medicine , 78 (1), 5-12.
