Question 1

Clients with illness anxiety disorder are likely to

Accepted Answer

Clients with illness anxiety disorder often reject reassurances from doctors that they are healthy, as they are preoccupied with the belief that they have or will develop a serious illness.

Question 2

Hippocrates and the Egyptians before him thought that hysterical disorders were the result of a

Accepted Answer

Hippocrates and the Egyptians believed that hysterical disorders were caused by a "wandering uterus," meaning the uterus was believed to move around the body and cause physical and emotional symptoms.

Question 3

Panic disorder shares several common characteristics with both somatic symptom disorder and illness anxiety disorder.Which of the following is not one of those shared features?

Accepted Answer

Anxiety is expressed through somatic symptoms in somatic symptom disorder, through excessive worry about having a serious illness in illness anxiety disorder, and through recurrent, unexpected panic attacks in panic disorder.

Question 4

Since Sindile has been diagnosed with illness anxiety disorder, we can expect her to see her physician

Accepted Answer

Individuals with illness anxiety disorder frequently visit physicians but remain anxious about their health despite reassurances.

Question 5

All of the following are classified as somatic symptom and related disorders EXCEPT

Accepted Answer

Dissociative identity disorder is classified as a dissociative disorder, not a somatic symptom and related disorder. The other three options (factitious disorder, conversion disorder, and illness anxiety disorder) are all classified as somatic symptom and related disorders.

Question 6

Illness anxiety disorder exists when

Accepted Answer

Illness anxiety disorder, previously known as hypochondriasis, involves excessive worry about having a serious illness despite having little or no symptoms.

Question 7

According to psychological theory, neuroses stem from

Accepted Answer

According to psychological theory, neuroses stem from underlying unconscious conflicts. These conflicts can include repressed experiences and emotions that can affect an individual's behavior and mental health. Therapy often involves uncovering these underlying conflicts to address and resolve them.

Question 8

With regard to the treatment of somatic symptom disorder and illness anxiety disorder, research exploring the use of reassurance in a process called 'explanatory therapy' showed that

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that explanatory therapy, which involves providing reassurance and education about symptoms, can lead to some significant gains in treating somatic symptom disorder and illness anxiety disorder.

Question 9

The common aspect of all somatic symptom disorders is a maladaptive or excessive

Accepted Answer

All somatic symptom disorders involve a disproportionate or dysfunctional response to physical symptoms or health concerns, which can lead to excessive anxiety, preoccupation with symptoms, and impairment in daily functioning. A and D are specific examples of somatic symptom disorders (i.e., illness anxiety disorder and pain disorder, respectively) but do not apply to all cases. B refers to body dysmorphic disorder, which is a separate condition.

Question 10

Paradoxically, an effective treatment for somatic symptom disorder and illness anxiety disorder involves helping the patient to focus on

Accepted Answer

The answer of Paradoxically, an effective treatment for somatic symptom...

Question 11

Although Anne-Marie feels fine now and believes that she is healthy, she still worries endlessly about developing a serious illness.Most likely Anne-Marie would be diagnosed with

Accepted Answer

Anne-Marie's excessive worry about developing a serious illness, despite feeling healthy, aligns with illness anxiety disorder, which involves preoccupation with having or acquiring a serious illness.

Question 12

Although both panic disorder patients and people with somatic symptom disorder tend to misinterpret bodily sensations, patients with panic disorder

Accepted Answer

Panic disorder patients often fear an immediate catastrophe, such as having a heart attack, while those with somatic symptom disorder worry about long-term health issues.

Question 13

Studies suggest that patients with somatic symptom disorder or illness anxiety disorder are characterised by a tendency to

Accepted Answer

Patients with somatic symptom disorder or illness anxiety disorder often interpret ambiguous stimuli as threatening, leading to excessive worry about their health.

Question 14

Minor, physical complaints are common among

Accepted Answer

Young children are still developing their immune systems and are more vulnerable to minor physical complaints. Adolescents, middle-aged adults, and the elderly may also experience physical complaints, but they are not as common as they are in young children.

Question 15

With regard to the treatment of illness anxiety disorder and somatic symptom disorder, some research supports the use of

Accepted Answer

Cognitive-behavioral treatment and stress reduction have been shown to be effective in treating illness anxiety disorder and somatic symptom disorder by addressing maladaptive thoughts and reducing stress.

Question 16

Although its name has changed in the DSM-5, hypochondriasis is essentially an emotional disturbance triggered by

Accepted Answer

Hypochondriasis, now referred to as illness anxiety disorder in the DSM-5, is primarily characterized by the misinterpretation of normal bodily sensations or minor symptoms as serious illness.

Question 17

An essential element of illness anxiety disorder is

Accepted Answer

Illness anxiety disorder is characterized by excessive worry or fear about one's health, despite no or minimal symptoms or medical evidence of illness.

Question 18

With regard to a diagnosis of somatic symptom disorder, women are

Accepted Answer

Women are more likely than men to be diagnosed with somatic symptom disorder, regardless of age. This may be due in part to societal and cultural factors that encourage women to focus on their physical health and seek medical attention for somatic complaints more frequently than men.

Question 19

Jan just ate four steak pies and drank a litre of cooldrink.If Jan suffers from illness anxiety disorder, he would probably interpret any resulting stomach discomfort as

Accepted Answer

People with illness anxiety disorder often interpret normal bodily sensations as signs of serious illness.

Question 20

Disorders such as amafufunyana and dhat that are similar to somatic symptom disorders demonstrate the

Accepted Answer

These disorders illustrate how cultural beliefs and practices can shape the expression and understanding of psychological symptoms, highlighting the role of culture in psychopathology.

Quiz 6: Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders and Dissociative Disorders