A distinctive characteristic of somatic symptom disorder is not the somatic symptoms per se, but how they ___ and ___ them. Incorporating ___, ___, and ___ components into the criteria.

• A. present and interpret them; affective, cognitive, and behavioral components.
• B. ignore and minimize them; emotional, social, and motivational components.
• C. seize and deny them; sensory, motor, and autonomic components.
• D. deny and minimize them; perceptual, linguistic, and cultural components.

Answer: (A)

In somatic symptom disorder the key idea is how a person experiences and responds to their symptoms, not the symptoms themselves. The correct phrasing highlights that the somatic symptoms are not just present, but they are “present and interpreted” in a way that leads to undue distress or disruption. This matches the disorder’s focus on a pattern of reaction across three domains: affective (emotional distress or anxiety about illness), cognitive (preoccupation with the seriousness of symptoms and distorted illness beliefs), and behavioral (excessive time, energy, or reassurance-seeking devoted to the symptoms). This triad—emotional, cognitive, and behavioral responses—forms the core of the diagnostic criteria.

The other options imply ignoring, denying, or seizing symptoms, or rely on components (perceptual, linguistic, cultural) that aren’t the central trio described in the criteria.