Symptoms of Somatic Symptom Disorder are.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Body related medical concerns which may not be serious in nature but person experiences constant fear of serious ill health
Option (1) Emotional numbing, anxiety and low energy — Incorrect. Emotional numbing is a symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), seen in people who have lived through a disaster, a bomb blast or a serious accident. Somatic symptom disorder is about bodily complaints.
Option (2) Body related medical concerns which may not be serious in nature but person experiences constant fear of serious ill health — Correct. Somatic symptom disorder involves persistent body-related symptoms which may or may not be related to any serious medical condition. People with it are overly preoccupied with their symptoms, continually worry about their health and make frequent visits to doctors.
Option (3) Body related medical issues which are serious in nature confirming person’s fear of ill health — Incorrect. In somatic symptom and related disorders the person complains of physical symptoms for which there is no biological cause. If a serious medical illness confirmed the fear, the worry would be a reasonable response, not a psychological disorder.
Option (4) Recurrent dreams, anxiety and depression — Incorrect. Recurrent dreams and flashbacks are again symptoms of PTSD, a trauma- and stressor-related disorder, not of somatic symptom disorder.
NCERT (2025-26): “Trauma- and Stressor-Related Disorders … PTSD symptoms vary widely but may include recurrent dreams, flashbacks, impaired concentration, and emotional numbing.…” “Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders … These are conditions in which there are physical symptoms in the absence of a physical disease. In these disorders, the individual has psychological difficulties and complains of physical symptoms, for which there is no biological cause. These include conversion disorders, somatic symptom disorder, and illness anxiety disorder among others. 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.…” |