Recognized Somatoform Disorders
The somatoform disorders are actually a group of disorders, all of which fit the definition of physical symptoms that mimic physical disease or injury for which there is no identifiable physical cause; as such, they are a diagnosis of exclusion. They are recognized by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders of the American Psychiatric Association as the following:
- Conversion disorder: A somatoform disorder involving the actual loss of bodily function such as blindness, paralysis, and numbness due to excessive anxiety
- Somatization disorder: A disorder characterized by multiple physical complaints which do not have a medical explanation.
- Hypochondriasis: A somatoform disorder involving persistent and excessive worry about developing a serious illness.
- Body dysmorphic disorder
- Pain disorder
- Undifferentiated somatoform disorder – only one unexplained symptom is required for at least 6 months.
Included among these disorders are false pregnancy, psychogenic urinary retention, and mass psychogenic illness (so-called mass hysteria).
- Somatoform disorder Not Otherwise Specified (NOS)
The ICD-10 classifies conversion disorder as a dissociative disorder.
Read more about this topic: Somatoform Disorders
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