Psychosomatic illnesses have been known to mankind for a long time. This definition was proposed in 1818 by a German doctor named Heinroth. Since then, there have been numerous disputes about where these diseases came from and what they really are. And scientists are also exploring who has a greater propensity for these diseases and with what means they need to be treated.
Definition
Before considering the classification of psychosomatic disorders and their characteristics, it is necessary to define this concept. A psychosomatic disorder is a disease that manifests itself in the form of a functional or organic lesion of an organ or organ system. But it is based not onlyphysiological causes, but also the interaction of the psychological characteristics of a person and the corporal factor. Almost any disease can be psychosomatic. But most often it is a stomach ulcer, hypertension, diabetes, neurodermatitis, arthritis and cancer.
Main categories
The most common classification of psychosomatic disorders is as follows:
- Actually psychosomatic diseases (high blood pressure, stomach ulcers, asthma, psoriasis, etc.).
- Somatogeny - a person's mental reactions to a disease that already exists. This includes either too much concern about the existing disease, or defiant neglect of it.
- Disorders of the somatomorphic type (for example, VVD or neurocirculatory dystonia).
The most common diseases are the first category of this classification of psychosomatic disorders.
Influence of Freud's works
The origin of the psychosomatic direction in medicine is associated with the works of Freud. This direction originates from the case history of a patient named Anna O. It was this case that led Freud to pay attention to the appearance of a physical symptom by the mechanism of conversion. Despite the fact that Freud himself never mentioned the word "psychosomatics", and even more so did not make any classifications of psychosomatic disorders, later it was thanks to his followers that the direction of psychosomatic medicine gained wide popularity.
Categorize A. B. Smulevich
Modern domestic psychologist A. B. Smulevich in 1997 proposed the following classification of psychosomatic disorders:
- Mental disorders that manifest as somatized symptoms.
- Psychogenic mental disorders, which reflect the patient's reaction to bodily illness.
- Exogenous mental disorders that occur due to somatic harmfulness (somatogenic disorders).
- Somatic diseases that manifest under the guise of psychological manifestations.
- Comorbid manifestations of physiological and psychological disorders.
Psychosomatic illnesses are extremely common. Psychologists believe that more than half of all patients who seek help from medical institutions actually suffer from psychosomatics. For their treatment, various medical methods are used that temporarily stop the symptoms or weaken them. But the formation of psychosomatic diseases is based on several conditions of a psychological nature.
Is there a relationship between diseases and personality traits?
Currently, there are several directions in this area. The main ones are psychoanalytic and anthropological approaches. There is also the concept of psychosomatic disorders, which considers the personality profile in terms of its predisposition to such diseases. In order to determine the specificity of this type of disorder,the following questions need to be asked:
- Is a person who has a certain type of character predisposed to a certain disease?
- Do difficult life circumstances lead to disease?
- Is there a connection between a person's behavior and his illnesses?
Scientists who have been looking for answers to these questions have for many years tried to describe the characterological profiles of patients with hypertension, asthma or ulcers. But at present, most scientists tend not to attach such importance to the personality profile and describe the character of the psychosomatic patient as such. Regardless of the disease, as a rule, this is a person of an infantile nature, prone to neuroses.
Conditions that provoke the development of diseases
Let's consider the main factors of psychosomatic disorders.
- Genetic predisposition to the disease of a certain organ. For example, three generations in a family suffer from bronchial asthma or hypertension.
- Psychological characteristics of the patient. Usually restrained and withdrawn people who find it difficult to express their feelings suffer from psychosomatics. These personality traits do not appear in a vacuum. Their development provokes a special kind of upbringing, in which the child is forbidden to show his feelings. Most often, aggression, anger, irritation are banned in families. Often, psychosomatic illnesses appear in adulthood due to the fear of being rejected by a parent whotook place in childhood.
- Presence of a psychologically traumatic situation in the present. At the same time, the same circumstances can be perceived by different people in completely different ways. Not every person who finds himself in unpleasant circumstances will develop a psychosomatic illness. As a rule, this usually occurs in people with a history of the first and second points.
Trigger factors
As a rule, the cause of a psychosomatic disorder, which manifests itself in the form of a protracted physiological disturbance in the work of a certain organ, is stress, a serious conflict, the loss of a loved one, uncertainty. From the side of the body, a reaction occurs:
- At the level of physiology, it manifests itself in the form of vegetative shifts.
- On the psycho-emotional level - affective and cognitive impairments that are directly related to the experience of stress.
- At the behavioral level, trying to adapt to the situation.
Symptomatics
The following symptoms of psychosomatic disorders are distinguished:
- Feeling of pain in the region of the heart, which appears during physical exertion and is similar to angina pectoris.
- Pain in the neck, migraine. Less likely to suffer from pain in the temples.
- Digestive disorders resulting from strong negative experiences.
- Back pain.
- Sudden increase or decrease in blood pressure.
- Strong heartbeat that makes a person anxiously listen toyour heart rate.
- Disorders associated with the process of swallowing, a feeling of "lump" in the throat.
- Shortness of breath in the absence of respiratory disease.
- Numbness or tingling in hands.
- Nasal congestion, difficulty breathing.
- Short-term visual impairment.
- Dizziness.
Main causes of psychosomatics
The main causes of psychosomatic illnesses are as follows:
- Internal conflict. Most often there is a conflict between consciousness and the unconscious, social and instinctive. For example, it may be a conflict that arose on the basis of sexual desire, and the impossibility of its implementation. If the conscious wins in a person, diseases of the pelvic organs occur. If the unconscious - there will be no psychosomatics, but the person will "spend himself", which will lead to venereal diseases or the inability to have children.
- Secondary benefit. In this case, the disease brings a certain benefit to a person - if he is sick, he has the opportunity to receive care from loved ones, he does not need to go to a boring job.
- Suggestion. This factor usually affects infantile personalities or children. When a child or a psychologically immature person is constantly told that he is lazy or selfish, his self-esteem begins to fall. This leads to symptoms of psychosomatic disorders.
- Striving to be like the other person. Often, psychosomatics affects those people who cannot findthemselves, and in their body copy others. They are trying to become just as successful, rich, existing, as it were, in isolation from their own body. Because of this alienation, the body begins to get sick, trying to return the person “to itself.”
- Punishment. Guilt can often be a factor in psychosomatic disorders. In this case, the disease is an act of self-punishment. One of the most striking examples is frequent physical injuries, as well as somatic illnesses caused by guilt.
- Psychological trauma of childhood. There have been many traumatic events in the past. These traumas, as well as the loss of significant loved ones, cause serious psychosomatic disorders and diseases that are difficult to treat.
Effect on the psyche
In the absence of an integrated approach (simultaneous treatment of a somatic symptom by a doctor and work with a psychologist), the course of the disease may worsen. It does not depend on the type of psychosomatic disorder. In addition to the deterioration of the physical condition, there may be such a phenomenon as “care for the disease” due to the fact that the problem that is relevant to the person is not solved. A person cannot cope with a life problem, it becomes easier and easier for her to get sick physically. If there is a serious disturbing experience that is not blocked by psychological defense and not subjected to psychotherapy, it begins to somatize - turn into a physical symptom. The specificity of psychosomatic disorders is such that anxiety, fear or aggression do not go anywhere.disappear, affecting both the psyche and internal organs.
Treatment
Therapy of these diseases should be comprehensive. If we take into account that the disease was caused by several factors, then it is necessary to influence each of them. In other words, both on the suffering organ and on the personality of the patient.
Psychotherapy of psychosomatic disorders is aimed at increasing the level of human awareness. During therapy, he learns to recognize his feelings, to express unreacted experiences. When feelings are recognized, it becomes possible to understand how to deal with them. A person begins to understand that not every time these feelings are inappropriate, and it is quite possible to express them. This allows you to reduce the level of psychological stress. The emotions on which the tension was based become conscious. It becomes possible to express them through action or inaction.
