Stress is a common thing that happens to everyone. However, be careful if stress is left because it can cause various health problems, including psychosomatic disorders. Disease can appear or even worsen certain physical symptoms or complaints, such as pain.
Psychosomatic consists of two words, mind (psyche) and body (soma). Psychosomatic disorders are diseases that involve the mind and body, where the mind affects the body until the disease appears or becomes worse. The term psychosomatic disorders is used to express physical complaints that are thought to be caused or made worse by psychological or mental factors, such as stress and anxiety.
While in psychological terms, psychosomatic or "functional" disease is a condition that causes pain and problems in bodily functions, although no abnormalities are found on physical examination, or supporting examinations such as X-rays or blood tests.
How Does Mind Affect Disease?
As is known, the mind can cause symptoms or changes in a person's physical appearance. For example, when feeling scared or anxious, it can cause signs such as a rapid heartbeat, palpitations, nausea or want to vomit, tremors, sweating, dry mouth, chest pain, headaches, stomach aches , rapid breathing, muscle aches, or back pain. Physical symptoms are caused by increased electrical activity or nerve impulses from the brain to various parts of the body. In addition, the release of adrenaline (epinephrine) into the bloodstream can also cause the above physical symptoms.
Until now, exactly how the mind can cause certain symptoms and affect physical illnesses, such as skin rashes or high blood pressure, has not been clearly known. Nerve impulses that lead to parts of the body or brain, are thought to affect certain cells in the immune system, causing symptoms of the disease. But this whole thing is still not understood correctly.
Psychosomatic diseases
When mental factors give rise to symptoms of disease, but the disease itself cannot be found or detected physically, or complain of illness that does not match the symptoms, these conditions are grouped in psychosomatic disorders. Psychosomatic complaints are sometimes difficult to recognize, either by the sufferer alone or by the doctor, because they do not show specific signs and symptoms. But one thing is certain, this disorder can cause real problems for sufferers and those around them.
Certain diseases are proven to be aggravated by one's mental state. For example in psoriasis, peptic ulcers, high blood pressure, diabetes, and eczema. The condition of the disease is not infrequently will recur or get worse when the sufferer experiences stress or anxiety. However, the physical condition is evident and in a physical examination will be detected by a doctor.
In contrast to psychosomatic disorders, the symptoms that appear and the signs of physical abnormalities found in sufferers are not always clear, and are not detected by doctors. However, complaints and the effects of these disorders are felt real by patients. This is what causes psychosomatic disorders are sometimes difficult to detect.
How to Overcome Psychosomatic
Psychosomatic disorders can be overcome or alleviated by several therapeutic and treatment methods, such as:
- Psychotherapy, one of them with cognitive behavioral therapy methods.
- Relaxation or meditation practice.
- Diversion technique.
- Acupuncture
- Hypnosis or hypnotherapy.
- Electrical therapy, namely with transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS).
- Physiotherapy.
- Medications, such as antidepressants or painkillers that doctors prescribe.
In the cognitive behavioral therapy method, sufferers of psychosomatic disorders will be asked to find out what can worsen the symptoms. This therapy can help ease excessive thoughts, and handle feelings and behaviors related to the symptoms of the disease being experienced.
Psychosomatic disorders are types of disorders that should be treated by psychiatrists, and often psychosomatic disorders require a combination of psychotherapy with medical drugs. Although not physically visible, this psychosomatic complaint raises real problems for sufferers. If you or someone you know is suspected of having psychosomatic disorders, you should consult with a psychiatrist to get further examination and treatment.
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