Do I Have Somatic Symptom Disorder? Causes, Symptoms, Treatments

15 May Do I Have Somatic Symptom Disorder? Causes, Symptoms, Treatments

Somatic Symptom Disorder (SSD) is a condition of the mind where a person becomes excessively distressed over physical symptoms that seem to lack a clear medical basis.

If you’re grappling with Somatic Symptom Disorder (SSD) and wondering, “Is Somatic Symptom Disorder a disability?”, you’re not alone.

SSD can seriously affect a person’s daily life, making it hard to work, socialize, or manage routine tasks due to intense focus on physical symptoms and related distress.

A person with SSD often sees doctors a lot and has many tests for problems that might not exist.

More issues come up when these patients become anxious about their health, which can make their physical pain worse.

Understanding what is somatic symptom SSD and Is SSD a mental illness would form the basis for ensuring correct diagnosis and treatment so that affected individuals can lead a healthier and more balanced life.

Professionals like Dr. Vivek Pratap Singh, whose expertise we’ll touch upon in this blog, are well-equipped to provide guidance in this area.

If you are seeking consultation for SSD, considering professionals with his background may be a helpful option.

What Is Somatic Symptom Disorder SSD?

Somatic Symptom Disorder (SSD) is a mental health issue where a person feels a lot of emotional pain, worry, or acts in a way that is not helpful because of one or more physical symptoms.

These might be pain, fatigue, or other somatic discomforts without a clear medical explanation.

When someone is feeling very sick but doctors can’t find anything wrong, they keep reaching out to doctors or emergency rooms for help.

At the same time, their feelings of sadness and inability to function often make them believe they are still sick.

Somatic symptom disorder example:

Chronic Pain with Excessive Worry: A person experiences ongoing back pain. Despite medical tests showing no serious condition, they constantly worry that the pain signals a life-threatening illness, like cancer. They frequently visit doctors, seek second opinions, and avoid activities, believing the pain will worsen, leading to social isolation and anxiety.

What Is The Characteristics Of Somatic Symptom Disorder?

Somatic Symptom Disorder (SSD) is characterized by a significant focus on physical symptoms to the point where it causes major emotional distress and problems functioning in daily life.

Here are the key characteristics:

• Individuals experience one or more physical symptoms that are distressing or result in significant disruption of daily life.
• Persistently high level of anxiety about their health or symptoms. They worry excessively about having or developing a serious illness.
• Even though a specific symptom might not always be there, having symptoms usually lasts for more than 6 months.
• Many people are very hesitant to believe that mental health problems might be involved in some situations.
• People suffering from SSD often go to different doctors and take many tests, but they may still feel worried even when tests show nothing is wrong. They might think their doctors do not believe their symptoms.
• SSD patients are not simply pretending about the symptoms; although their suffering is real, all this excessive concern adds fuel to the fire.
• Some individuals may become overly dependent on others, demanding help and emotional support, and may become frustrated or angry if their needs are not met.

Celebrities with Somatic Symptom Disorder: Public figures have shared their struggles with Somatic Symptom Disorder, raising awareness about its impact. Their openness helps reduce stigma and encourages others to seek professional help for similar symptoms.

How Common Somatic Symptom Disorder SSD Is?

SSD is more common than many believe, affecting individuals across various ages and backgrounds.

Research indicates that:

• 5%-7% of the population will experience some type of SSD in their lifetime.
• The condition is more prevalent among females than males.
• Symptoms typically arise in the adolescent or young adult stage.
• People who carry a history of anxiety, depression, or trauma appear to have an increased risk for SSD.

Why Does Somatic Symptom Disorder Happen?

Certain factors raise the likelihood for a patient developing SSD:

• Genetic predisposition – Family history of anxiety disorders or somatoform disorders.
• Personality traits – People attuned to their bodily sensations or worrying tend to exaggerate their bodily experience.
• Past medical experience – Childhood sickness or traumatic medical events may spur along with health anxiety.
• Stress and emotional traumas – Much stress brings focus to bodily sensations.

SSD constitutes a serious threat to a person’s quality of life, becoming a source of emotional distress, social withdrawal, and uninformed medical procedures.

Early detection and adequate treatment provide a way by which personalized recovery and well-being are possible.

Related Disorders

Somatic Symptom Disorder (SSD) is part of a group of related disorders in the Somatic symptom disorder DSM-5 under “Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders.”

These conditions involve physical symptoms or excessive concern about health that cause significant distress or impairment, often with a psychological component.

Below is an overview of disorders related to SSD, with key distinctions:

1: Factitious Disorder

When someone pretends or exaggerates symptoms to appear sick and gain attention or care.

While the symptoms in SSD may be real and distressful, in factitious disorder, the symptoms are faked or intentionally induced by the individual to satisfy a psychological need.

To induce a medical condition, these individuals might go to extremes, including manipulating lab tests or self-inflicting injuries.

Such behavior cannot be execrated; the true motivation is not material, but a psychological need to be considered ill.

2: Conversion Disorder (Functional Neurological Symptom Disorders)

It is a situation where the individual perceives definite physical symptoms and neurological symptoms without the presence of any clinical indications.

They may be unable to move an arm, may have seizures, or become blind, but neurologically, tests reveal no disease.

These are believed to arise out of emotional problems or stress: to act as subconscious defenses to protect against the experience of conscious emotional distress.

Compared with SSD, in which the emphasis is on a physical cause of suffering, conversion disorder presents with physical impairment, losing voluntary control of motor or sensory function.

3: Illness Anxiety Disorder (Hypochondriasis)

A disorder characterized by an intense fear of having a serious illness despite contrary medical evidence.

Unlike SSD, those with illness anxiety disorder might present few, if any, physical symptoms but have distressingly excessive worry about their health status.

Patients often seek several medical opinions, are preoccupied with health-related internet research, and refuse to accept reassurance from health professionals.

The disorder can cause much anxiety and distress, interfering with daily life and relationships.

Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders show how the mind and body are connected.

Emotional stress can make physical symptoms worse. Helping people with these issues in a caring way can lead to better health.

Somatic Symptom Disorder vs. Conversion Disorder

Somatic Symptom Disorder (SSD) and Conversion Disorder are often mixed up because they show similar physical symptoms without clear medical reasons.

However, they are different in terms of the types of symptoms, causes, how aware the patient is of their condition, and what doctors find during tests.

Symptoms:

In such an illness, patients experience unexplained symptoms like chronic pain, fatigue, or gastrointestinal distress. These symptoms persist for long periods, are distressing, and cannot be fully accounted for by any medical diagnosis.

Conversion Disorder causes patients to exhibit neurological symptoms that can consist of paralysis, tremors, blindness, or loss of speech, which affect motor or sensory function directly.

Cause:

SSD relates the symptoms to psychological distress, but the patient considers them real and medically concerning.

In conversion disorder, the psychological distress is unconsciously converted into neurological dysfunction and is usually leveled against stressful traumatic experience(s).

Awareness:

People with SSD strongly believe they have a medical illness, so they look for medical help and go through Somatic symptom disorder test and treatments, even if doctors tell them otherwise.

In conversion disorder, symptoms happen without control; people may not realize that their feelings are affecting them. Symptoms often appear suddenly after a traumatic event.

Medical Tests:

In SSD, symptoms have no medical explanation but are still being felt and are very much interfering with daily life.

In conversion disorder, medical tests do not demonstrate any form of neurological disorder; rather, symptoms appear to be neurologically based on a superficial level.

Both are mental health issues. SSD is mainly caused by worrying too much about physical health, while conversion disorder shows physical symptoms that happen without the person trying to cause them.

Proper help includes correct diagnosis and therapy, which are important for managing both conditions effectively.

Somatic Symptom Disorder Symptoms

Somatic Symptom Disorder (SSD) depicts the condition in which the person undergoes so many symptoms of a physical kind affecting his daily life.

If you’re wondering, “Do I have Somatic Symptom Disorder?”, here’s a look at the key symptoms to help you reflect on your experiences.

These symptoms often remain unexplained from a medical standpoint, leading to lots of visits to doctors and much distress. Here are some frequently encountered symptoms:

1. Pain

Chronic pain in various places such as the head, back, joints, or abdomen.

The pain may move from one area to another and can be persistent with negative medical investigations.

2. Fatigue

An everlasting feeling of tiredness or exhaustion with no discernible physical explanation.

It is characterized by poor concentration, low energy levels, and impacted daily functioning.

3. Digestive Issues

Symptoms like nausea, bloating, diarrhea, or constipation.

In such cases, mimicry is offered for ongoing gastrointestinal disorders and poorly fitting medical findings.

4. Breathing Problems

Labored breathing, tightness in the chest, or a choking sensation.

No lung or heart explanation was found in medical investigations.

5. Neurological Symptoms

Dizziness, fainting, or abnormal sensations in the extremities.

Some people might also experience memory challenges or headaches.

6. Health Anxiety

Excessive worry about having a serious illness despite the absence of medical findings to support the diagnosis.

Usually there are excessive health visits, obsessive searching, and reassurance-seeking from others.

These symptoms are associated with a significant amount of distress affecting a person’s work, relationships, and other life areas.

Even after being reassured medically, the SSD sufferer still feels unwell, furthering the cycle of anxiety and amplification of the symptom.

Causes Of Somatic Symptom Disorder

The exact cause of Somatic Symptom Disorder is not completely clear, but it seems to be caused by a combination of mental, physical, and environmental factors.

1: Psychological Factors

• History of Comorbid Stress or Depression: The likelihood of occurrence of SSD is greater in conjunction with other mental disorders.
• Negative Cognition: Heightened awareness of bodily sensations with catastrophic interpretation of relatively minor symptoms that are often called “worst-case scenarios.“
• Emotional Trauma or Stress: A difficult period in the person’s life, be it stress from difficult events, abuse, or trauma, may also trigger bodily symptoms.

2: Biological Factors

• Heightened Sensation of Pain: Certain individuals notice pain more than others and are thus more susceptible to SSD.
• Genetic Factors: Family history of anxiety disorders, depression, or somatic disorders can increase the overall risk.

3: Environmental Factors

• Childhood Illness or Neglect: Being sick quite often or neglected in early years can engender in adulthood excessive health concerns.
• Over-Parenting: Parents who are overly concerned with their child’s health may be further convincing the child that minor symptoms are serious.

It’s important to understand that these factors affect each person differently, and the way someone develops SSD can be quite different from others.

Knowing these possible causes is key to creating effective treatments that consider the various aspects of this disorder.

How Does Somatic Symptom Disorder Get Diagnosed?

Somatic Symptom Disorder needs a full medical and mental health check to make sure there are no other physical problems.

Because the symptoms can look like other conditions, doctors must do a thorough assessment before giving a diagnosis.

a) Steps Within the Diagnostic Process:

Medical Evaluation

In the medical check-up, doctors do tests, take pictures, and run lab tests to find out if there are any problems that could explain the symptoms. If the symptoms continue even though tests are normal, it might be a possible diagnosis.

Psychological Assessment

A mental health professional checks how a person feels, acts, and thinks about their symptoms. This check looks at worries about health, being overly concerned about body issues, and problems in daily life.

b) Diagnostic Criteria for SSD According to the DSM-5

According to the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the diagnosis of SSD should be made when:

The person has at least one troubling physical symptom. They have too many thoughts, feelings, or actions about this symptom.

These symptoms last for more than six months and make daily life difficult.

SSD is not about believing the symptoms are real; it’s about feeling real sensations and being very upset and worried about them.

Somatic Symptom Disorder Treatment

Many individuals new to understanding this condition understandably ask: How do you treat SSD?

Let’s break down the key therapeutic approaches…

1: Psychotherapy (Talk Therapy)

Therapeutically SSD is best treated because it gives the patient insight into the control of their one’s excessive health anxiety.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

• Identifies and changes negative thought patterns about health.
• Encourages rational thinking as a means to avert worrying about symptoms to the extreme.
• Imparts coping mechanisms developed to alleviate health anxiety and not visit immaterial doctors.

Mindfulness Therapy

• Fosters awareness of the present as opposed to worrying over physical sensations.
• Assists in managing stress and emotional upsets that perpetuate the severity of symptoms.
• Cultivates self-awareness, aimed at the imparting of relaxation techniques to disrupt the vicious cycle of anxiety and somatic symptoms.

2: Best Medication For Somatic Symptom Disorder

While medication is not always a prerequisite to treatment, it may be indicated when anxiety, depression, or obsessive health concerns complicate a case of SSD.

• Antidepressants like the SSRIs or SNRIs may aid in reducing excessive worrying and emotional distress.
• Anti-anxiety medications may be recommended for those with high levels of health anxiety.
• Medications are adjusted according to unique needs to best complement the therapy.

Care should be taken in consulting a psychiatrist like Dr. Vivek Pratap Singh top psychiatrist in Patna Bihar before self-medication as it may aggravate the symptoms.

3: Lifestyle Change

Some simple daily habits play a huge role in the management of SSD symptoms.

Exercise

Physical activities will help relieve stress, enhance mood, and help promote overall well-being.

Anything that may involve some physical activity, such as walking, yoga, or swimming, will provide relief from physical discomfort.

Sleep Hygiene

Insomnia affects energy and fatigue; a regular sleep pattern, in which one sleeps and rises at the same time every day, helps with energy and inhibits fatigue.

Screen hours before sleep also promote good sleep.

4: Limiting Medical Appointments

Too many doctor visits will make it certain that your worry about health issues increases.

Moderation in medical inquiries should help in stopping the excessive anxiety over health.

SSD requires a multifaceted treatment plan with appropriate therapy interventions, changes to one’s lifestyle, and medication when necessary.

With the right support, a person can unlock their thoughts and learn to live life to the fullest.

Living with Somatic Symptom Disorder

Management of Somatic Symptom Disorder (SSD) involves long-term planning for an improved state of well-being with reduced preoccupation with health.

While SSD itself can be quite demanding, a properly implemented set of coping strategies can greatly enhance your quality of life.

Establish a Support System

Stay connected to family, friends, and support groups that understand yourity.

Talking with loved ones may lessen feelings of isolation and provide emotional reassurance.

Build and Stick to a Routine

Engage in activities such as avocations, exercise, or socialization to take the mind off health concerns.

This way, sticking to a daily schedule may help distract from excessive focus on symptoms.

Practice Stress Management

Stress management techniques include meditation, breath control, and progressive muscle relaxation to reduce anxiety.

Consistent stress management may also help slow the worsening of symptoms caused by emotional distress.

Speak with Your Care Provider

Work with a physician or therapist you trust toward developing coping methods instead of relying on repeated medical tests.

Emphasizing therapy and self-care rather than excessive medical reassurance is critical.

With just the right support, therapy, and lifestyle changes, SSD individuals manage their condition effectively and lead a happy life.

Conclusion

Somatic symptom disorder is a condition in which both the mind and body are affected.

It is neither “imagined” nor “faked“; the symptoms are real and capable of significantly interfering with attempts at a normal daily life.

Given early diagnosis and treatment-including therapy and lifestyle changes-an individual can learn to manage SSD and regain control of his or her life.

If you, or someone you know, have been affected by persistent unexplained physical symptoms, professional treatment will shed light on and ease the path to recovery.

The first step toward understanding and managing SSD will pave the way toward the development of a healthy and balanced life.