Course title: Psychosomatics and Somatomorphic disorders
Name of lecturer: Kalliopi Hatira
Course code: Ψ3608 Type of course: Elective
Year of studies: 4 th Semester: 5 th
Level of course:
Number of credits: 4
The course aims to cover specific teaching needs in the area of clinical and health psychology. Help students comprehend all the psychodynamic parameters which signal dangerous behaviors, the somatic expression of anxiety and tension, the somatization of traumatic experiences and the psychic exhaustion and their symbolization, as well as the projection of primary and secondary needs in the conversion phenomena (hysterical expressions). The psychosomatic and the somatomorphic disorders reveal the same psychodynamic expression regardless of age. Contrary to the conversion phenomena observed in adults and adolescents. The course also aims at the psychodynamic and the psychoanalytic approaches of the aforementioned disorders, as well as the clinical implementations in the areas of inquiry and intervention.
Prerequisites:
The expected results of the specific elective course are: a) Students’ sensitization towards psychosomatic symptoms and their symbolization, the psychosomatic syndromes and somatomorphic disorders and the phenomena of conversion. b) The acquisition of theoretical knowledge in relation to the psychosomatic contribution: theoretical approaches and theoretical schools of thought (psychoanalytic/’psychodynamic, psycho physiological and psychobiological). c) The knowledge of psychological clinical and technical inquiries, assessment and intervention of the psychosomatic client. d) The recognition (diagnosis) of the psychosomatic client through clinical examples.
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The thematic units of the course make reference to: a) Psychosomatic as a field of medicine and psychology. Psychosomatic as a noun and as a pronoun in the area of clinical approaches.
b) The psychodynamic perceptions for illness and health in general and the effects of the psychic trauma, of anxiety and stressful situations in reference to the psychosomatic expressions and somatomorphic disorders in specific.
c) Definitions of the somatic expression of anxiety and the psychic exhaustion {somatization}, causal effect variables of the psychosomatic contribution {protogenous and secondary causes}.
d) Theoretical approaches theoretical schools of thought and trends in psychosomatic medicine.
e) Psychological clinical approaches for inquiry/assessment and confrontation o f psychosomatic and psychomorphic disorders. Differential diagnosis for the conversion phenomena {hysterical syndromes}.
f) The psychosomatic structure of personality, the psychosomatic area of expression and symbolism
{psychoanalytic / psychodynamic approach}.
g) The psychosomatic and somatopsychic dimension of the somatization phenomena through examples of clinical practices.
Recommended readings:
1. Nathalie Dumet (2011). The Clinical of the Psychosomatic disorders (ed. Κ.Hatira), Gundeberg
Publisher, Athens.
2. Duberstein P. R. & Masling J. M. (2007). The Psychodynamics of Perceptions (ed. Κ. Hatira),
Gundeberg, Publisher, Athens.
3. University Course Notes available on ftp, including bibliography (English and French) for further study.
Teaching methods:
Lectures and presentations of clinical inquiry techniques and intervention of clients with psychosomatic and psychomorphic disorders, as well as alteration phenomena {hysteria}
Assessment methods:
Written examinations. Optional additive course assignment: a review

Language of instruction:
Greek language