Illness or psychosomatic disorder?
What to know about this topic
Psychosomatics
Psychosomatics - this term refers to the psychological state of a person that characterizes psychosomatic pain: physical discomfort caused by mental or emotional factors. A person can feel a psychosomatic effect on the body at any age.
The most common psychosomatic symptoms:
- gastrointestinal disorders (constipation, diarrhea, etc.);
- headaches, muscle pain, abdominal or chest pain;
- fatigue, feeling weak;
- sleep disorders;
- difficulty breathing;
- other unusual symptoms, the occurrence of which is difficult to explain to modern medicine: numbness in the arms or legs, tingling sensation in the body, etc.
Causes of psychosomatic disorders
- Consequences of stress. It is stress that is often considered as the main cause of the development of psychosomatic diseases. Especially if a person is under constant stress, experiences fear, anger, aggression or has a tendency to depression.
- Problems in family relationships. One of the main causes of psychosomatic disorders are difficult relationships in the family, severe emotional turmoil, loss of relatives or loss of contact with children.
- Genetic predisposition.The cause of the development of a psychosomatic disorder may be due to genetic inheritance.
- Imbalance in the body. Most often, the development of a psychosomatic disorder is caused by prolonged stress, hormonal changes and an unhealthy lifestyle. All this significantly affects the physical condition of the body as a whole.
Diagnostics of psychosomatic disorders
The diagnosis of psychosomatic disorders is carried out by a psychotherapist. Based on the history of visits and a comprehensive examination (in particular, tests), the doctor helps to find the cause of the painful condition.
What diseases are considered psychosomatic?
Today, doctors distinguish three main groups of diseases related to psychosomatic disorders:
- Conversion disorders (simultaneous sensation of various bodily symptoms: convulsions, loss of vision, etc., although in fact there are no physiological disturbances);
- Functional disorders (pain in the heart, stomach, head - but there are no real disturbances in the functioning of these organs);
- Hypochondriacal disorders (a feeling of having a specific illness with the manifestation of symptoms associated with this illness).
Treatment of psychosomatic diseases
Treatment of psychosomatic disorders is always complex and individual, so there is no universal recipe for recovery. Only during consultation and analysis of the patient’s current condition is the necessary treatment program selected, which includes drug and non-drug therapy.