Somatic Symptom disorders

Definition

These are a group of psychological disorders in which a person has physical symptoms that cannot be explained by actual physical illness. The individual may experience pain, weakness, or shortness of breath that doctors can't trace back to a physical cause.

Related terms

Conversion Disorder: This is when psychological stress manifests as physical symptoms without any underlying medical cause.

Illness Anxiety Disorder: This is characterized by excessive worry about having a serious illness despite having no or only mild symptoms.

Factitious Disorder: This involves pretending to be ill or deliberately producing symptoms of illness in oneself.