Paper Example on Somatization Disorder: Distress, Physical Symptoms, and Diagnosis

Introduction

Somatization disorder refers to when a person significantly focuses on symptoms such as dyspnea, general body weakness, and also pain that results in significant distress. The patient tends to develop thoughts, emotions, or even behaviors that relate to the physical symptoms. The physical symptoms tend not to related to any medical diagnosis, but one still believes that they are sick. To diagnose a patient with somatization disorder, it will depend on the extent of the feelings or even behavior.

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Symptoms

The somatization disorder is characterized by; specific sensations characterized by pain, dyspnea, fatigue, and majorly pain (Durand,2013, p. 170). One also develops neurological problems, gastrointestinal pains, and also sexual symptoms.

Summary of a Case

Mrs. A is a 38-year-old woman who presents with severe abdominal pain at the emergency room in Views point Hospital. She responds that she has suffered and experienced abdominal pain since her adolescent age. When an abdominal examination got conducted, and multiple scars showed that she had undergone multiple abdominal surgeries. These operations seemed to fail in reducing her pain. Her physical examination and lab results, vitals showed that they are within the normal range.

Mental Status Exam

Appearance and BehaviorThe patient was well dressed. One's behavior was appropriate since one maintained good eye contact (Durand,2013, p. 73). One had a slow motor behavior, which indicated depression.

Thought Processes

The patient talked slowly, and the speech was organized. The patient did not experience any delusions.

Mood and Affect

One's mood seemed subjectively low, and the affected reactive (Durand,2013, p. 73). It is because the patient responded appropriately to the subject matter discussed.

Sensorium

The patient seemed to be well aware of the surrounding since one knew that she was in an emergency room in the Hospital (Durand, 2013, p.73). When asked about the date and time, the patient responded well and with the correct answer.

DSM-V Criteria

The criteria for diagnosing this disease include; A. When one or even more somatic symptoms that result in a disturbance in one's life.B. When one experiences excessive thoughts, behaviors, or even feelings that are related to the somatization disorder, which manifested with the high level of anxiety (Durand,2013). When one devotes the excessive energy on the symptoms such as pain, one develops persistent thoughts concerning the symptoms such as pain that is mostly mentally related.

One specifies if pain disorder has been severe and also persistent for a period of how many months it gets mostly marked with a period of more than six years. One also needs to specify if the symptoms are mild, moderate, or even severe (Kleinstäuber & Rief, 2017). It is rated as Mild and moderate if one has excessive thoughts, feelings, or even the behavior itself. The disorder is rated as severe if one experiences more than two symptoms that relate to having excessive thoughts that lead to one being more concerned about the symptoms and also high levels of anxiety.

Treatment

The use of antidepressants will aid in reducing the symptoms associated with the depression and also the pain. The drugs include:

Imipramine

The imipramine drug belongs to the antidepressant group, in which the generic name is Tofranil. Imipramine is a drug used to treat depressions (Durand,2013, p. 172). The drug acts by inhibiting the reuptake of neurotransmitters in the brain that include; acetylcholine, dopamine, norepinephrine, and also serotonin. The drug also acts on H1 receptors.

Dosage

The drug gets taken orally. The patient needs to take 75 mg PO once a day (OD).

Side Effects

The side effects one experiences include blurred vision, constipation, difficulty in breathing, constipation. One can also develop cardiovascular disorders or even abnormalities.

Non-Pharmacological Treatment

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive Behavioral therapy aims at managing stress management, activity regulation, emotional awareness, and also cognitive restructuring. It gets done to ensure that the patients normalize and easily cope up with anxiety.

Role Stress Plays in the Development of Somatization Behavior

Stress seems to play a significant role in the development of somatization behavior since stress can get termed as what a person interacts within the environment, and it involves a potentially threatening stimulus (Kleinstäuber & Rief, 2017, p.410). The stress may be due to stressors such as traumatic events, for example, rape and physical abuse. When a person remembers these events, one develops fear and also anxiety.

Part of the Brain is Associated with the Disorder

Since most of the patients develop emotional disorders and increased empathy, the disorder affects the brain region that is involved in emotional regulation and processing, which is the parahippocampal gyrus (Kleinstäuber & Rief, 2017). The parahippocampal cortex locates on the medial temporal bone of the brain.

Conclusion

One has learned that the somatization disorder is a mental disorder that manifests itself usually through physical symptoms that shows itself through pain, but a general medical condition cannot explain it. One decided to research about the disorder so that one cannot misdiagnose the patient or judge them, but fully understand that it can manifest itself as a psychological disorder. One will use the information to treat, diagnose, and manage the anxiety disorders correctly since one is well aware of the symptoms and also the correct antidepressants to correct this issue.

References

Durand, V. M., & Barlow, D. H. (2013). Essentials of abnormal psychology Belmont. CA: Wadsworth.

Kleinstäuber, M., & Rief, W. (2017). Cognitive behavioral therapy for somatoform disorders and pain. The Science of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, 405-427. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-803457-6.00017-9