Latisha Curry

Psychology

8/12/12

Other Psychological Disorders

Somatoform disorders involve physical symptoms that are due to psychological causes than any

know medical condition. In people who have a somatoform disorder, medical tests are either

normal or don’t explain the person’s symptoms. People with this disorder may have many

medical evaluations to make sure that they don’t have any other illnesses. They become worried

because they don’t know the cause of their health problems. People with this disorder may seem

to be faking, but the pain they feel is real.

People with hypochondriasis are overly concerned about their health and fear that their bodily

symptoms are a sign of some serious disease. A person with this disorder might notice a dark

spot on their skin and think of skin cancer. No matter how many times a doctor may tell them

there’s nothing wrong, they are not convinced. They may go from doctor to doctor seeking

confirmation. Unfortunately, there is a poor chance of recovery from this disorder.

A person with conversion disorder experience a loss of motor or sensory functions in some part

of the body, which is not due to a physical cause, but which solves a problem. A person may

become blind, unable to speak, or paralysis in some part of the body. Symptoms usually

appear after a stressful experience. Some doctors believe that this disorder is not a real condition.

The symptoms usually last for days to weeks and may go away suddenly.

In response to unbearable stress, some people develop a dissociative disorder. With this disorder,

they lose the ability to consciously integrate their identities. Dissociative amnesia is a complete

loss of the ability to recall personal information. The person uses this to escape a traumatic

experience. Dissociative fugue is the disorder when one has a complete loss of memory of one’s

entire identity. That person may leave home and assume a new identity. Dissociative identity

disorder is a disorder when a person has two or more personalities. Each one of those

personalities has its own reaction, emotions, and body functioning.

Sexual disorders are behavior patterns that are related to sexuality or sexual functioning. The

behavior patterns are destructive, guilt-or anxiety producing, compulsive, a cause of discomfort,

or harm. Sexual dysfunction is the most common sexual disorder. Sexual dysfunction is

problems involving sexual desire, arousal, or the pleasure associated with sex. Paraphillias are

disorders in which a person have distressful and repetitive sexual fantasies, urges, and behavior.

Gender identity disorder is a problem accepting one’s identity as male or female. People with

this disorder has a desire that they are the other gender.

Personality disorder is a long standing inflexible, maladaptive pattern of behaving and relating to

others. People with this disorder are very difficult to get along with. They may also blame other

people for their problems. Personality disorders are grouped in two clusters. Cluster B involves

overly dramatic behavior. Cluster C involves feelings of anxiety. A person with personality

disorders may feel that their way of thinking and behavior is normal.