Factitious Disorder

Among the disorders related to somatic symptoms, there is one that stands out: Factitious Disorder. Fans of medical or crime dramas might recognize this disorder under the name Münchausen Syndrome.

Somatic Symptom Disorder (Part 2)

In the previous post, we explored how physical (somatic) symptoms can lead some individuals to experience psychological and/or behavioral distress. In this post, I’ll describe Somatic Symptom Disorder as well as two related disorders, using my own words.

Somatic Symptom Disorder (Part 1)

After discussing Dissociative Disorders, the diagnostic manual takes a new direction. It moves to a category of disorders known as somatic disorders.

The word "somatic" is related to the Greek word soma, which means "body." Somatic symptoms are physical symptoms. But why should clinical psychology be concerned with physical symptoms? Let me explain in my own words.