Illness Anxiety Disorder and Conversion Disorder are included under which broader category?

• A. Somatic Symptom Disorder
• B. Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders
• C. Illness Anxiety Disorder
• D. Conversion Disorder

Answer: (D)

Think about how disorders involving bodily symptoms are grouped in DSM-5. Illness Anxiety Disorder and Conversion Disorder are both placed under the umbrella of Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders. This category brings together conditions where physical symptoms or the worry about them are central and are influenced by psychological factors, rather than being explained solely by another medical condition. Illness Anxiety Disorder centers on excessive worry about having a serious illness, often with minimal somatic symptoms, while Conversion Disorder involves neurological-like symptoms that aren’t fully explained by medical disease and are linked to psychological factors. Because they share this interplay between mind and body and the way symptoms or distress are experienced, they fall under Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders rather than a single, more narrow diagnosis.