Psychological Factors in Physical Disorders

 Psychosocial factors- factors that are either psychological or sociocultural- may contribute to somatic, or bodily, illnesses in a variety of ways
 Rene Descartes went so far as to claim that the mind, or soul, is separate from the body- a position called mind-body dualism
 Not until the 20th century were medical scientists persuaded that psychosocial factors such as stress, worry, and unconscious needs can contribute in major ways to physical illness
 Factitious disorder and somatoform disorder are believed to be due to psychosocial factors…