John has been having difficulty falling and staying asleep for the past few months. He has lost his appetite, lost some weight, and feels physically fatigued a great deal of the time. These are all examples of the _____________ symptoms typically associated with ______________.未知题型
A
motivational; major depression
B
mood-state; dysthymia
C
somatic; major depression
D
cognitive; dysthymia

Question

John has been having difficulty falling and staying asleep for the past few months. He has lost his appetite, lost some weight, and feels physically fatigued a great deal of the time. These are all examples of the _ symptoms typically associated with __.未知题型

A

motivational; major depression

B

mood-state; dysthymia

C

somatic; major depression

D

cognitive; dysthymia

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Somatic symptoms refer to physical or bodily changes—sleep disturbance, appetite/weight change, and fatigue are classic examples—so these are somatic symptoms and are typically associated with major depressive disorder.

1) Relevant knowledge points and concepts
- Somatic (or vegetative) symptoms are physical manifestations of mood disorders: insomnia or hypersomnia, significant weight loss/gain or change in appetite, psychomotor agitation/retardation, and fatigue or loss of energy.
- Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) diagnostic criteria (DSM) include a cluster of emotional, cognitive, motivational, and somatic symptoms. A person must exhibit five or more symptoms during the same 2-week period, one of which must be either depressed mood or loss of interest/pleasure.
- Dysthymia (Persistent Depressive Disorder) is a chronic, milder depressive condition lasting at least 2 years and emphasizes persistent low mood rather than necessarily prominent somatic symptoms.

2) Step-by-step reasoning
- Identify John's symptoms: difficulty falling and staying asleep (insomnia), loss of appetite, weight loss, and persistent physical fatigue.
- Classify these: each is a bodily (vegetative) symptom—sleep, appetite/weight, and energy—so they are somatic.
- Determine the disorder they typically indicate: such vegetative symptoms are hallmark features of major depressive episodes; they commonly appear in MDD and are part of DSM criteria.

3) Intermediate steps / calculations
- No numerical calculations needed. Mapping items to symptom categories:
  - Sleep disturbance → somatic
  - Appetite/weight change → somatic
  - Fatigue → somatic

4) Why the correct answer is correct
- The listed problems are physical/vegetative in nature, matching the definition of somatic symptoms. Major depression commonly presents with these somatic signs as part of a depressive episode.

5) Why other options are incorrect
- "Motivational; major depression": motivational symptoms refer to reduced drive/interest (anhedonia), which isn’t what John’s listed symptoms primarily are.
- "Mood-state; dysthymia": mood-state refers to affect (persistent low mood); dysthymia is chronic low-grade depression lasting ≥2 years, whereas John’s primary issues are physical symptoms and described over “past few months.”
- "Cognitive; dysthymia": cognitive symptoms would include negative beliefs, poor concentration, indecisiveness; John’s symptoms are bodily, not cognitive.