Psychosomatic illness, psychosomatic disorders, and psychosomatic symptoms are usually caused by medium to high levels of stress, anxiety, or depression. Simply put, it's a mind and body phenomenon — but it's also a little more complicated than that.
Psychosomatic means mind (psyche) and body (soma). A psychosomatic disorder is a disease which involves both mind and body. Some physical diseases are thought to be particularly prone to being made worse by mental factors such as stress and anxiety.
Psychosomatic pain is a pain disorder that is induced by excessive stress or mental issues. The pain originates from an issue in the psyche—such as depression, anxiety or different levels of stress—and then spreads to the muscular skeletal system of your body.
Psychosomatic disorders resulting from stress may include hypertension, respiratory ailments, gastrointestinal disturbances, migraine and tension headaches, pelvic pain, impotence, frigidity, dermatitis, and ulcers.
Treatment of Psychosomatic Disorders
Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) is often the treatment of choice for a psychosomatic disorder. This therapy helps patients learn new ways to cope with and solve their problems as they gain a deeper understanding of their condition or circumstances.
Anxiety-induced psychosis is typically triggered by an anxiety or panic attack, and lasts only as long as the attack itself. Psychosis triggered by psychotic disorders tends to come out of nowhere and last for longer periods of time.
But unfortunately, just like pain can make you feel worse mentally, your mind can cause pain without a physical source, or make preexisting pain increase or linger. This phenomenon is called psychogenic pain, and it occurs when your pain is related to underlying psychological, emotional, or behavioral factors.
Physical diseases caused by mental factors can be treated either through medication or surgeries; however, the complete cure from this condition can be achieved only when the cause for the generation of the mental stress is identified.
It is both psychological and physical. The brain's amygdala makes the determination of threat and signals the hypothalamus, a central command center, which broadcasts the signal through the autonomic nervous system and sets off a cascade of hormones, including adrenaline.
Examples of Neurological Symptoms From Anxiety. It could be argued that anxiety itself is a neurological symptom. After all, anxiety can change neurotransmitter levels in the brain causing them to send unusual signals to the rest of your body.
Symptoms typically associated with somatization of anxiety and other psychiatric disorders include abdominal pain, dyspepsia, chest pain, fatigue, dizziness, insomnia, and headache.
While psychogenic pain may not have a direct physical cause, this pain is still real. People who have this aren't faking, lying or seeking attention. This pain feels the same — and involves part of the same processes — as pain from an injury or illness.
One reason that health anxiety can be so convincing and frightening is that the anxiety itself can actually lead to physical symptoms. These can include dizziness, stomachaches, muscle tension, rapid heartbeat, and more, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America.
Symptoms of anxiety produce very real physical symptoms: Dizziness, stomachaches, rapid heartbeat, tingling in the hands and feet, muscle tension, jitteriness, chest pressure, and the list goes on. These symptoms add fuel to the fire.
When we are more susceptible to stress, depression, or anxiety, our brains may be playing tricks on us. A cycle of continuing to look for what is wrong makes it easier to find what is wrong out there. It's called a confirmation bias.
In all cases, psychosis (auditory hallucinations or delusions) originated in the course of a severe panic attack. Psychotic symptoms occurred only during panic attacks; however, these could occur up to 10 to 15 times a day.
Delusions are linked directly to psychosis, but not all delusions are that extreme. In fact, anxiety commonly causes delusional thinking, simply because of what it's like to deal with anxiety.
Having an anxiety disorder does more than make you worry. It can also lead to, or worsen, other mental and physical conditions, such as: Depression (which often occurs with an anxiety disorder) or other mental health disorders. Substance misuse.
The intrusion of stress: The psychological factors might intrude into the general medical condition's treatment and create problems. Exacerbation: Anxiety factors make the symptoms of the medical condition worsen, thereby increasing its severity.
SSRIs and SNRIs
GAD is a common anxiety disorder, and it often presents with somatic symptoms. SSRIs that are FDA-approved for anxiety include sertraline (Zoloft) and immediate- and extended-release paroxetine (Paxil, Paxil CR).