Question

Which of the following would fall under the heading of Other Specified Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders?

A. A patient with pain in one or more areas that is thought to be significantly mediated by psychological factors
B. A patient with a persistent belief that he or she has cancer despite reassurance by his or her physician that nothing is wrong
C. A patient who develops a motor deficit following significant psychological stressors
D. A patient who feels that she is pregnant and presents with amenorrhea, enlarged abdomen, and breast engorgement, but a negative pregnancy test
E. A patient with medical complaints involving pain, gastrointestinal complaints, neurological complaints, and sexual complaints.

Answer 1

Option D, describing a patient with signs of pregnancy but a negative pregnancy test, represents a case of pseudocyesis, which falls under the category of Other Specified Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders.

Step-by-step explanation:

Among the options provided, the one that would fall under the category of Other Specified Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders is A patient who feels that she is pregnant and presents with amenorrhea, enlarged abdomen, and breast engorgement, but a negative pregnancy test (option D). This condition is known as pseudocyesis or false pregnancy, where a patient shows several signs and symptoms associated with pregnancy but is not actually pregnant. Unlike signs, which are objective and measurable, symptoms are subjective and experienced by the patient, making them difficult to quantify. Therapists sometimes use tools like the Wong-Baker Faces pain-rating scale to measure the intensity of symptoms such as pain.