Somatoform Disorders

Individuals with Conversion Disorder experience a wide variety of involuntary physical symptoms that appear to be due to some type of medical or neurological condition (i.e. paralysis or localized muscle weakness, double vision, hallucinations, seizures). However, for individuals with this condition, these physical symptoms are the result of psychological and emotional factors, not physical ailment. Subtypes of Conversion Disorder include: with motor symptom or deficit, with sensory symptom or deficit, with seizures or convulsions, and with mixed presentation.

Pain Disorder affects approximately 10-15% of adults in a given year. Individuals with Pain Disorder experience pain in one or more body part which the person presents as the main focus of clinical attention. The pain causes significant stress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning. Psychological factors are judged to play an important role in the development, severity, and maintenance of the pain, without intentionally producing the symptoms. Treatment for individuals with Pain Disorder involves individual psychotherapy, family and group psychotherapy, and medication management.

Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is a condition in which an individual experiences intense anxiety and distress over an imagined flaw in their physical appearance. Individuals with this condition obsess over this perceived imperfection, often spending several hours per day performing behaviors in response, including: checking the perceived defect in any available reflective surface (i.e. mirrors, store windows, car bumpers), excessive grooming or covering up (i.e. hair combing, hair removal, makeup application), excessive exercise and dieting, and frequent wardrobe changes.