Those who have heard, surely have asked themselves: what is psychosomatic illness? psychosomatic illnesses are characterized by physical symptoms that affect an organ or physiological system and whose causes are mainly emotional.

A psychological trauma (death, divorce, separation, accident, job loss, etc.) can cause our natural defenses to suddenly drop and cause illness.

There is a real connection between the nervous system and the immune system, and psychosomatic illnesses are proof that when the mind takes heavy blows, the physical makes it feel them. If the external stimulus is brief, the body recovers on its own. If it is the other way around, the immune defenses drop, which then exposes the body to illness.

What are the main symptoms?

The first illness considered to be of psychosomatic origin was stomach ulcer. Generally, gastrointestinal disorders are the most frequent psychosomatic illnesses.

It has also been proven that diseases of the dermis, if not associated with a disease or virus, have a psychological origin. Psoriasis, warts, herpes, excessive sweating, rosacea, sores, canker sores appear when frustrations and emotions.

These illnesses also affect children: the baby, unable to talk about his discomfort, will express his distress in another way with eczema, insomnia, sleep disorders, vomiting, asthma, and others. These symptoms are not, however, systematically signs of a psychological imbalance in the child. Poor psychological condition can also lead to loss of libido.

Disease Evolution

The evolution of certain types of cancer can be attributed to mental disorders. American scholar Lawrence Le Shan has determined that brutal loneliness, violent emotional trauma, or hopeless psychological state can interfere with cancer morbidity.

Bulimia, anorexia, alcoholism, obesity, and cardiovascular diseases linked to the excessive consumption of certain fatty or sugary foods are the main examples of eating imbalances that can also occur after strong affection.

Hypertension and migraines are also symptoms of these diseases. In addition, other symptoms can also be a sign of psychosomatic illness.

Who is affected?

Women are more affected by psychosomatic illnesses than men. It is estimated that 38% of women and 26% of men are affected by such an illness at some point in their lives.

We also note that the people affected are people whose essential needs are not being met (love, affection, relaxation).

How to treat psychosomatic illnesses?

The best way is to take medication appropriate to the physical symptoms. Either psychotherapies (supportive, behavioral, analytical) which are essential to relieve the symptoms.

Thus, to help the person out of the possible somatization of his disorder and to teach him to better face stressful situations, there is still the option of alternative therapies: homeopathy, herbal medicine, acupuncture, dieting, meditation, etc. The important thing is that the emotions become positive again.

Who are the offenders and what are the means of prevention?

We distinguish between physical and mental stressors. The causes of physical stress include: intense physical exertion, light, noise, high and low temperatures, illness and suffering, a poor lifestyle, and an unbalanced diet. Whereas mental stressors are of professional, family, social, and personal origin.

Developing leisure time, doing relaxation exercises, practicing sports or regular physical activity, eating a balanced diet, and sleeping well are therefore effective means of controlling stress and preventing the development of psychosomatic illnesses.

List of 40 psychosomatic illnesses or annoyances

• stomach pain and burning, associated or not with nausea and vomiting;
• constipation or diarrhea;
• In addition, you may experience chest pain;
• muscle and headaches;
• increased blood pressure;
• acceleration of the heartbeat;
• changes in vision;
• itching, burning or tingling;
• excessive hair loss;
• insomnia;
• pain or difficulty in urinating;
• changes in libido;
• In addition, they may have menstrual cycle changes;
• migraine;
• Irritated bowel syndrome;
• food, respiratory, or skin allergies;
• sexual impotence;
• infertility;
• anemia;
• respiratory and liver diseases;
• asthma;
• bladder problems;
• bulimia;
• cancer;
• heart diseases;
• digestive, dental, throat, and back problems;
• pain in the back, neck and neckline;
• gastritis;
• knee and leg problems;
• obesity.

Psychosomatic illnesses in brief

In the true sense, the term "psychosomatic" comes from the joining of two words of Greek origin, psyche, which means soul, and soma, which means body. In other words, it is a disease that originates in the soul and the psychological, but also has physical consequences in the body.

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The onset of psychosomatic diseases comes from a mental disorder that affects the physical state. Therefore, these are diseases in which emotional factors, anxiety, depression, or shock (grief) can affect an organ or physiological system.

The patient does not immediately realize that there is a relationship between his emotions and his state of health, but he can understand it.

When the psychic influences the body

All diseases have a psychosomatic component. Our mental state can, in fact, cause or worsen the manifestations of certain pathologies, or lower our immune defenses in case of infection.

When stress affects health, it is through psychosomatic actions. Other psychological problems, such as anxiety or neurosis, have obvious repercussions on the health status of the people concerned. However, it has not been shown that the psychosomatic effect alone can cause physical pathology.

Psychosomatic illnesses and hypochondria

The hypochondriac complains (sincerely) of physical problems and describes pains and symptoms that cannot be corroborated by laboratory or X-ray examinations.

On the other hand, the person who suffers from a psychosomatic illness actually has the corresponding organic disorders. Unlike the hypochondriac, he does not take pleasure in being sick, but wants to be treated.

Using complementary approaches

It is because illnesses have a psychic component that drugs also act through a placebo effect. It is also when the psychosomatic dimension is greater that the so-called "complementary" medicines, such as homeopathy or acupuncture, are more effective, because they take into account the individual as a whole and not just the symptoms.

Management of psychosomatic illnesses

The management of a psychosomatic disorder must be done on two levels. Somatic disorders need to be treated with appropriate medications. The "psychic" dimension should have the physician take into consideration any anxiety, masked depression, etc.

However, the use of the term "psychosomatic" still gives rise to many misunderstandings in the doctor's office. Some doctors use this expression in place of the good old "it's your nerves" as a convenient excuse when they cannot make an accurate diagnosis to define a problem.

Final considerations

Doctors who sincerely seek to measure the role of emotions in triggering disease are often misunderstood by the patient who just hears "you're not really sick".

These confusions around words are unfortunate, because any psychosomatic illness that is at the root is very real and should be cured as such.

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