Psychosomatic Disorders: What Is It And 7 Tips To Recover From It

Introduction

Stress affects each person in unique ways. While in some cases, stress can enhance work performance, in other cases, stress can impair one’s output and also affect one’s physiological health. Many times, people start developing a cluster of symptoms, leading to a condition called psychosomatic disorder.

What is Psychosomatic Disorders?

The word ‘psychosomatic’ essentially comes from the combination of ‘psych,’ which is related to the way our brain processes and conducts various cognitive and emotional actions and reactions, and ‘soma,’ which means body. Therefore, psychosomatic disorder is a medical condition that is related to the malfunction of the brain in perceiving and doing multiple mental processes, which in turn has implications on the body and its functioning. The psychosomatic disorder often emerges as physical symptoms triggered by psychological factors (Chauhan & Jain, 2023). It arises from intricate interactions among the central nervous system, endocrine system, and immune system (Chauhan & Jain, 2023). 

People suffering from this condition experience symptoms such as persistent pain, gastrointestinal disturbances, or respiratory complications. Melatonin and cortisol have been shown to play integral roles in psychosomatic disorders. A study by Nagani et al. in 2020 showed that the biological rhythms of melatonin and cortisol have important effects on students’ daytime psychosomatic conditions and morning cortisol levels are associated with daytime psychosomatic conditions (Nagani et al., 2020).

Symptoms of Psychosomatic Disorders

Since stress affects each person differently, the symptoms of psychosomatic disorder are varied and range from somatic pains to sexual dysfunctions and neurological and gastrointestinal symptoms. A few of them include hypertension, respiratory ailments, gastrointestinal disturbances, migraine tension headaches, etc. (Alexander, 1962).

According to DSM IV-TR, a patient suffering from psychosomatic disorder would have pains in at least four distinct parts of their body, which are as follows.

• At least two gastrointestinal disturbances, such as nausea, bloating, diarrhea, 
• At least one sexual symptom- which may also include
• Irregular menses and 
• At least one pseudo-neurological symptom. 

Any medical finding cannot explain each of the symptoms, i.e., no medical investigation should explain the cause of the presented symptoms, and their intensities should be of a magnitude that affects their life holistically. In other words, their magnitude influences the person’s personal, social, and occupational aspects of life. However, these symptoms can occur at different times. The symptoms do not co-exist at once, and most of the complaints begin before the age of 30.

Treatment of Psychosomatic Disorders

Practitioners pursue various approaches to managing symptoms of psychosomatic disorders. Some of them include an amalgamation of medicinal treatment along with evidence-based psychotherapy to manage stress- which can be effective in treating psychosomatic disorders. 

• Medications: Even though the symptoms are triggered by social and psychogenic factors (which can be situational at times), the pains endured are real. Thus, this condition requires the same medical interest as any other physiological ailment. Medications such as anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medicines are sometimes prescribed to manage the disturbance in mood experienced due to chronic disease and related symptoms associated with psychosomatic disorder. 
• Psychotherapy: Other psychotherapies, such as cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), cognitive therapy and physical therapies such as yoga, exercises, deep muscle relaxation activities, etc., may be useful in managing the symptoms associated with this disorder.

Many times, therapists adopt an eclectic approach to managing the symptoms experienced by patients, using different aspects of various therapies.

Examples of Psychosomatic Disorders

Alexander, in 1950, used the term ‘psychosomatic’ to point out seven specific diseases triggered by psychological factors (Hange et al., 2007). The seven diseases included peptic ulcer, bronchial asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, essential hypertension, neurodermatitis, and thyrotoxicosis (Hange et al., 2007). However, more recent studies have shown that psychosomatic disorder types can also include, but are not limited to, hypertension, respiratory ailments, gastrointestinal disturbances, migraine and tension headaches, pelvic pain, impotence, frigidity, dermatitis, and ulcers (Alexander, 1962).

Important Tips to Recover from Psychosomatic Disorders

Some ways to help with the symptoms of psychosomatic disorder include

1. Lifestyle modification: adopting healthy habits such as maintaining sleep hygiene, regular exercise, and a balanced diet.
2. Identifying triggers: Identifying what social or biological cues trigger one’s symptoms on physiological and emotional levels and acknowledging and accepting them.
3. Medication: Complying with the treatment prescribed can help get rid of the symptoms efficiently. Often, anti-anxiety and anti-depressant medication have been shown to be effective in managing the symptoms.
4. Counselling: Therapies such as CBT, mindfulness-based therapy, and REBT can be useful in managing one’s emotions, stress levels, and, accordingly, the symptoms of psychosomatic disorder.
5. Building a support system: building healthy relationships with family members, friends, or colleagues who can help in the times of crises
6. Diet regulation: Avoiding foods that increase cortisol levels can be useful in managing psychosomatic symptoms, as cortisol has been shown to influence the condition.
7. Relaxation: Activities such as yoga, meditation, and other deep muscle relaxation activities can be helpful.

Conclusion

Psychosomatic disorder is a psychiatric condition that results from psychological triggers and stresses. It can affect different organs and systems, such as the respiratory system, reproductive system, gastric system, etc. Medicinal as well as psychotherapeutic treatments (CT, CBT, etc) are useful in managing the symptoms of psychosomatic disorder.

References

Alexander, F. (1962). The development of psychosomatic medicine. Psychosomatic Medicine, 24(1), 13-24. Chauhan, A., & Jain, C. K. (2023). Psychosomatic Disorder: The Current Implications and Challenges. Cardiovascular & hematological agents in medicinal chemistry, 10.2174/0118715257265832231009072953. Advanced online publication.

https://doi.org/10.2174/0118715257265832231009072953

Hange, D., Bengtsson, C., Sundh, V., & Björkelund, C. (2007). The natural history of psychosomatic symptoms and their association with psychological symptoms: Observations from the Population Study of Women in Gothenburg. The European Journal of General Practice, 13(2), 60-66. Nagane, M., Oyama, Y., Suge, R., & Watanabe, S. I. (2020). Psychosomatic conditions in university students related to melatonin biological rhythm and cortisol morning levels. Biological Rhythm Research, 51(4), 543-551.