Psychosomatic Disorders

Psychosomatic Disorders
Psychosomatic disorders can be interpreted as a reaction to the soul in the physical (soma). According to the American Psychosomatic Society (2005), psychosomatic disorders derived from the Greek (Psyche = soul and Soma = physical), so that the psychosomatic relationship can be interpreted as physical and mental. There is a very close relationship between physical factors, psychological factors, and social to the journey of a disease.

Psychosomatic disorders may be able to answer, "Why could somebody have a heart attack after a fight with his boss?, Why rheumatic disease so much more pain when disabling stress?, Why heart disease mortality is influenced by the presence or absence of depression?"

A disease can arise from many factors. The disease can arise as a result of environmental or social factors. The disease can arise also due to genetic factors and heredity. Various factors will interact complexly.

Psychological factors can trigger the emergence of a physical disorder, such as sleep disorders due to anxiety, stress-related neck muscle pain or diarrhea and heartburn due to fear.

Psychological factors can also affect the clinical course of a disease, such as stroke patients with depression will have a relatively functional status worse than without stress, coronary heart disease death rates are influenced by the presence or absence of depression.

Psychological factors affecting various organs of the body through a complex mechanism of neural factors, hormonal, and immunological. Chronic stress can affect the sympathetic nervous system and activation of hormonal systems (axis hypothalamus – pituitary – adrenal ).

Adrenal hormone system pressure that lasts longer associated with the suppression of the immune system (immune system) due to steroid hormones. This explains why someone with chronic stress is more easily hurt. Racing sympathetic nervous system to explain the emergence of hypertension, stroke and coronary heart disease due to emotional stress.

In some cases, psychosomatic disorders may appear strange and conversion reaction can not be explained by medical science. Blind sudden, sudden paralysis or numbness of a strange nature is common. Patients are generally young, mostly women and preceded by a clear stressor. These patients will undergo various examinations with normal results. The author several times come across cases of conversion, and psychotherapy is helpful measures the patient's recovery.

In general, patients with psychosomatic disorders is believed that the source of the pain really comes from the organs in the body. In everyday clinical practice, health providers are often faced with the demands of patients and their families to conduct laboratory tests and imaging (x-rays).

Imaging examination can help to reduce anxiety in patients and their families. When the results are normal, then there is no need of excessive anxiety about a state of serious illness. For example, someone would not consulted the psychologist or psychiatrist because he is very confident that the source of the pain is physical and not psychological.

Why is this happening? Sociological study by Nettleton (2006) illustrates that patients' prefer physical suffering than psychological. Most patients will also be very resistant when told that the pain associated with psychosocial stressors.

How can a person with psychosomatic disorders can be treated?

A health officer must see the patient or client as being physical, psychological, social, and spiritual whole. Complaints of a patient should be taken seriously (no matter how strange complaint).

Research shows that psychosomatic patients are often not satisfied with medical services due to the response he got a doctor who is not serious about the disease. This patient will tend to move the doctor or hospital with no results.

Consider the words of Hippocrates, a patient will feel more comfortable with greetings, smiles and when heard with empathy. Good communication in the goal to explore the stressors, and often action is needed counseling. Research shows that clinical psychological interventions are helpful in many cases. Multidisciplinary cooperation is necessary for the good of the patient.

So if you frequently experience a variety of complaints but when checked found no disease problems, maybe the answer is an interruption psychosomatic more toward psychological problems.