Somatoform Disorder

Somatoform Disorder

Somatoform disorders deal with people who show symptoms of a somatic or bodily disorder, even though there is no physical cause for it. This psychological disorder takes a somatic/bodily form, thus it is called a somatoform disorder. There are mainly five types of this disorder: Undifferentiated Somatoform Disorder, Conversion Disorder, Pain Disorder, Hypochondriasis, Body Dysmorphic Disorder, and Somatoform Disorder not Otherwise Specified (NOS).

One example of this disorder is conversion disorder. This disorder makes a person appear to be blind, deaf, paralyzed, or insensitive to pain in certain parts of your body. This type of disorder is rare, and it mainly occurs during adolescence or early adulthood. These disorders are different from true physical disabilities in a couple of ways. They appear when you are under heavy stress levels, it helps them avoid situations which help lower the stress level, the person shows not much concern for this “serious” problem, and finally the symptoms are neurologically impossible.

Another somatoform disorder is hypochondriasis, a strong fear that you have cancer, AIDS, or some other major physical problem. This fears males you visit the doctor frequently and reposts of many symptoms. Something similar is somatization disorder, in which the reports of physical problems are more vague. Next is pain disorder, which consists of severe, and constant pain, but it has no physical cause.

Some cases of somatoform disorder may be related to early childhood development. Other factors may be triggered by stress. Based on these findings, researchers have suggested that certain people may have certain biological and psychological traits that make them more vulnerable to somatoform disorders. Sociocultural factors may also contribute to this disorder. In Asia, Latin America and Africa, they typically exhibit disorders that have to deal with physical symptoms, whereas in North America it’s more anxiety or depression. Genetic factors play a very minor role in somatoform disorders.