What Is Somatic Symptom Disorder?

Related Disorders to SSD

One of the most common terms out there concerning an individual being excessively worried about or believing they have a serious medical condition is hypochondria. However, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) no longer recognizes hypochondria as a potential diagnosis. Instead, patients are likely to have SSD or a similar condition, known as illness anxiety disorder (IAD). IAD, like SSD, includes excessive worry about the presence of a serious illness or the risk of developing one, though the main difference between the two is those with IAD are more likely to have no physical symptoms or pain, just the excessive worry.

Two other disorders related to SSD, though less so than IAD, are conversion disorder and factitious disorder. The latter is a mental illness in which the patient attempts to deceive others, including doctors, into believing they are seriously ill; purposely tries to fall ill or injure themselves; or exaggerates symptoms of an existing illness. Conversion disorder is a medical condition in which the patient experiences paralysis or other loss of physical function without a discernible medical cause, often suddenly and during a time of significant stress.