The full name of this condition is actually Other Specified Somatic Symptom & Related Disorder. So what does that mean?
Well, this is a category where people display specific symptoms that are somatic in nature or characteristic of a related mental health disorder but don’t actually add up to meet the criteria for any of the specific conditions outlined in this diagnostic class in the DSM-5. Essentially, you’ve got a somatic medical problem that includes specific symptoms, but the experts can’t fit it into a clear box – at least not yet.
In order for someone to be diagnosed with this disorder, the symptoms they are experiencing need to impair their ability to function in occupational, social, or other aspects of life or lead to significant clinical distress. Some examples of this include:
Brief illness anxiety disorder – When someone suffers these types of symptoms related to illness for under six months.
Brief somatic symptom disorder – When someone suffers these types of symptoms related to somatic disorders for under six months.
Illness anxiety disorder without excessive health-related behaviors – When an individual meets all of the requirements to be diagnosed with illness anxiety disorder except for Criterion D, they may be diagnosed with this condition.
Pseudocyesis – When someone shows objective signs of being pregnant, displays symptoms of pregnancy, and believes that they are pregnant despite the lack of any actual pregnancy.
Disability becomes complicated when someone is suffering from these issues, and it’s not something that you want to figure out on your own. Different disability insurance policies handle these issues in different ways, so you should learn as much as you can by checking out our free disability eBook and speaking with an experienced long term disability attorney as soon as possible.