Choose out of the following statements what is true about Somatic symptom disorder:
A. A person has persistent body-related symptom
B. Continually worries about the symptoms
C. Frequent visits to doctor
D. Experience paralysis, blindness etc.
E. Preoccupation with the thought of developing various illnesses.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → A, B, C only
A. A person has persistent body-related symptom Correct. Somatic symptom disorder involves a person having persistent body-related symptoms, which may or may not be related to any serious medical condition.
B. Continually worries about the symptoms Correct. People with this disorder tend to be overly preoccupied with their symptoms and continually worry about their health.
C. Frequent visits to doctor Correct. They make frequent visits to doctors, and as a result experience significant distress and disturbance in daily life.
D. Experience paralysis, blindness etc. Incorrect. Paralysis, blindness, deafness and difficulty in walking are the reported loss of basic body functions in conversion disorder, a different disorder of the same group.
E. Preoccupation with the thought of developing various illnesses. Incorrect. A persistent preoccupation about developing a serious illness marks illness anxiety disorder. In somatic symptom disorder the worry is about symptoms the person already has.
NCERT (2025-26): “Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders … Somatic symptom disorder involves a person having persistent body-related symptoms which may or may not be related to any serious medical condition. People with this disorder tend to be overly preoccupied with their symptoms and they continually worry about their health and make frequent visits to doctors. As a result, they experience significant distress and disturbances in their daily life. Illness anxiety disorder involves persistent preoccupation about developing a serious illness and constantly worrying about this possibility. This is accompanied by anxiety about one’s health. Individuals with illness anxiety disorder are overly concerned about undiagnosed disease, negative diagnostic results, do not respond to assurance by doctors, and are easily alarmed about illness such as on hearing about someone else's ill-health or some such news. In general, both somatic symptom disorder and illness anxiety disorder are concerned with medical illnesses.…” “Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders … The symptoms of conversion disorders are the reported loss of part or all of some basic body functions. Paralysis, blindness, deafness and difficulty in walking are generally among the symptoms reported.…” |