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Somatic symptom and related disorders, previously known as somatoform disorders, occur when a psychological conflict is expressed through a somatic, or physical, complaint. The main disorders in this category are somatic symptom disorder, illness anxiety disorder, conversion disorder, factitious disorder, and psychological factors affecting other medical conditions.

Conversion disorder is also known as functional neurological symptom disorder, and it was once known as hysterical neurosis. It is a medical condition in which mental stress is displayed in physical ways that are outside a person's control. It is often triggered by a severe emotional or mental crisis that "converts" to a physical problem. For example, a person who witnesses a traumatic accident may suddenly become blind. The condition has no physical cause—for instance, there is no actual damage to the eyes—but the psychological stress of what happened is so great that it causes the nerves to react as if there is some physical problem, resulting in symptoms similar to those present with physical damage. The condition usually affects one person at a time but groups of people can suffer from conversion disorder too. This condition is known as conversion reaction, sometimes called mass hysteria. Conversion disorder can be treated and cured. The prognosis depends on the person and the physical and mental state that was present before the disorder emerged.