Rosh Psychiatry Board Practice Exam 2025 - Free Psychiatry Board Practice Questions and Study Guide

The correct term that describes the experience of severe distress in various contexts without identifiable medical reasons is Somatic Symptom Disorder. This condition is characterized by an individual's significant focus on physical symptoms — such as pain or fatigue — that cause major emotional distress and functional impairment. The key aspect of this disorder is that the distressing symptoms cannot be fully explained by a medical condition, indicating that the distress is not due to a direct physiological cause but rather involves psychological factors.

In Somatic Symptom Disorder, individuals may have intense thoughts, feelings, and behaviors related to their symptoms, which can lead to disruptions in their daily lives. The emphasis on the absence of identifiable medical reasons is crucial, as it points to the psychological nature of the experience rather than a purely physical one.

Other options focus on different aspects of mental health or illness. For example, Anxiety Disorders generally involve excessive worry and fear in response to stressors, often with identifiable anxiety triggers. Physical Illness pertains to medically diagnosed conditions that have identifiable physiological causes, which does not align with the question's focus on the absence of medical reasons. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is characterized by intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviors performed to alleviate anxiety from these thoughts, which also does not emphasize the absence of medical