Psychosomatic disorders

Psychosomatic disorders are changes in the body that occur under the influence of psychological factors that manifest as physical illnesses.

From the medical point of view, the disease occurs when an external factor affects tissue damage, while in psychosomatic diseases, the psychological factor affects various disorders in the body, which if it lasts for a long time can lead to tissue damage. Emotions play a crucial role in the development of psychosomatic diseases, usually strong negative emotions such as anger, rage, sadness, fear and sadness.

Psychosomatic diseases can be divided into two groups, with the first group that is dominated by sympathetic hyperfunction (cardiovascular and endocrine diseases) while the second group is dominated by parasympathetic hyperfunction (gastrointestinal and respiratory diseases). The sympathetic nerve is active in stressful situations, and the parasympathetic nerve is activated at rest.

According to the American Psychiatric Association, psychosomatic illnesses are divided into:

• Skin diseases: acne, urticaria, neurodermatitis (chronic skin changes, pruritus) and angioneurotic edema (swelling of eyelids, lips, tongue, etc.)
• Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract: muscle spasm between the esophagus and stomach and stomach and duodenum, gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer, chronic constipation, ulcerative colitis, chronic inflammation of the small intestine (Crohn's disease).
• Respiratory diseases: bronchial asthma.
• Diseases of the heart and blood vessels: angina pectoris and heart attack, high blood pressure and arrhythmias.
• Diseases of the endocrine glands: diabetes, low blood sugar (hyperinsulinism and hypoglycemia) and increased thyroid function.
• Rheumatic diseases: rheumatic inflammation of the joints, chronic bone pain.
• Gynecological diseases: painful menstruation, miscarriages.
• Other: allergic reactions, migraines and headaches, chronic pruritus, tumors.

The most common psychosomatic reactions are sudden rapid heartbeat, chest pressure, sudden changes in blood pressure that cause headache and/or fainting, redness of the face, skin reactions, increased sweating, hyperventilation, shortness of breath, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth, stomach pain, irritable bowel syndrome, diarrhea and constipation, bloating, vomiting, tingling sensation in the extremities, frequent urination, tinnitus and insomnia.

It should be noted that psychosomatic patients are treated in two phases. In the first phase the disease is treated while in the second phase the patient is treated. This means that in the first phase, medications are used to treat, for example, an asthmatic crisis, a bleeding ulcer or severe abdominal pain in ulcerative colitis. It is only after that does psychotherapeutic treatment begin. Sometimes in this phase, if necessary, mostly mild antidepressants are given, while psychotherapy is in the foreground.

Also, in the treatment of a psychosomatic patient, in addition to the basic treatment by a doctor, it is necessary to cooperate with a psychiatrist in order to effectively physically and mentally recover the patient.