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Somatization Case Study

The Somatic symptom disorder is characterized by the extreme focus on physical symptoms such as fatigue and pain that are responsible for the causation of significant emotional distress as well as functionality problems. Various risk factors are associated with the somatization disorder, and they include: being in possession of depression or anxiety disorder, the existence of a disease, exposure to stressful life events, violence or trauma as well as low level of education as well as socio-economic status. Besides being at the risk of developing a medical condition, for example, having a strong family history of a disease and having past experiences with trauma for cases such as childhood sexual abuse can also be termed to be risk factors to the somatization disorder.

Being in possession of somatic disorder can be due to the existence of a diagnosable disorder, or there may be none, but the reaction to the symptoms is not normal. An individual often thinks of the worst about the signs and therefore may be prompted to seek medical attention frequently. Seeking medical care continues even after serious conditions have been ruled out. At this stage, health concerns are the central focus the person’s life making it hard to function, and this may lead to disability. From the case study, the female has the same problem, a diagnosis has been performed, and serious conditions have been ruled out, but despite this, medical attention has been sought continuously with the primary aim of improving her health. The defense mechanism used is that the symptoms continue to worsen even despite serious conditions being ruled out.

My response to the clients who have no real symptoms is that they should seek alternative treatment of their condition. The most convenient method to treat their condition would be counseling therapy as well as seeking the attention of a psychiatrist to make sure that they do not have a mental condition. When intervening to an individual who is being possessed by a physical disorder, it is good to keep in mind that such incidences occur and this doesn’t mean that the person may be pretending to seek the attention of their loved ones. Also, it is good to know that continued ridicule to the Somatic patient may reduce their self-esteem and may develop suicidal thoughts. The most significant nursing intervention for a client with the somatic disorder is the psychiatric nursing as this will help the individual cope up with the condition as medical conditions have been ruled out implying that the person might be in possession of a mental disorder.

Reflection

Somatic Condition Reflection

Somatic disorders are quite embarrassing especially if a wrong professional handles the situation. Somatic disorders may be triggered by various risk factors that include the presence of a medical condition or even after the recovery of a previous condition. Anxiety and depression, as well as exposure to traumatic events, are also among the risk factors that can be said to trigger the occurrence of somatic disorders. When a person suffers from the somatic condition, they tend to have lower self-esteem, and therefore they need to be treated with great care so that they don’t suffer double blows in their health that may prompt them to develop suicidal thoughts.

Most of the patients suffering from the somatic conditions are young people implying that this as a problem that is developed to children still under the care of their parents. Students especially those in high school and college are more susceptible to somatic conditions and the reason behind is that they are prone to anxiety and depression. Being a teenager, I once suffered from the somatic condition whereby I suffered from aching joints and severe headache. Upon seeking medical attention, the results proved to be negative especially for malaria as the symptoms almost were similar to those of malaria.

Since the condition wasn’t diagnosed, the condition became severe till I believed that there was a misdiagnosis from the doctors. By then I had no idea of somatic disorders and how they really manifest. Finally, after there was no option, my parents suggested that we should seek the services of psychiatric and thanks to him that I came to know that I was only suffering from depression. I attended several sessions that included counselling therapy, and some anti-depressants were administered. I took all the medication, and within a few days, the symptoms were over. Somatic conditions, therefore, need the attention of psychiatrists as the condition may worsen deteriorating the health of the person affected.