Coping With Physical Illness

Coping with life’s circumstances can be achieved through several different means. One may take up a hobby or do some traveling. She may even start to watch more movies. An interesting distraction from the intense stresses of life is to dwell on the physical body. Illness can be a way to achieve distraction, an easier workload and sympathy, all at once. This combination of factors can make transitions and difficult circumstances a little bit easier. Sometimes though, people take their physical obsessions a little bit too far. There are a few psychiatric disorders that can result. Somatization Disorder, Conversion Disorder and Pain Disorder can cause long term suffering for those who are afflicted.

Somatization Disorder
A person with Somatization Disorder suffers multiple physical symptoms without any medical explanation. The symptoms vary in severity and are often connected with periods of stress or actual illness. The manifestation of the symptoms is frequent and occurs over most of the adult life of the person. She is rarely without symptoms of some kind. They will probably include pain symptoms, gastrointestinal symptoms, sexual symptoms and conversion symptoms, having to do with the nervous system. Even though the symptoms are real enough to the patient, medical professionals cannot find any physical problem, even with extensive testing. The person suffering from Somatization Disorder is not typically interested in psychiatric help.

Conversion Disorder
Conversion Disorder is a name attributed to neurological symptoms that do not have any physical causation. Freud described the illness as a physical symptom that symbolically solved a psychological problem. If someone was dealing with an inappropriate feeling or thought, their bodies may translate the problem into a physical, neurological problem. Common types of manifestations include: paralysis, loss of sensation, unconsciousness, seizures, blindness, deafness and loss of voice. Interestingly, the documented cases of Conversion Disorder are almost unheard of in developed countries, but continue to occur in lesser developed parts of the world. For a person to be diagnosed with Conversion Disorder, they will have to have a neurologically founded symptom that cannot be explained medically. The symptoms will be most likely to occur at stressful times in life and will affect everyday life.

Pain Disorder
Pain is not easy to explain. Usually, pain that lasts for less than six months has an identifiable and curable cause. If pain lasts for longer than six months, it is chronic pain that may never completely be resolved. Psychological state will influence how a person responds to their pain. If a person is suffering from Pain Disorder it means that they have chronic pain that does not have a completely physical explanation. There are other factors that influence the extent to which pain will affect an individual. If it interferes with everyday life, psychiatric help is recommended. Counseling and medication can help a person deal with their pain and get on the road to recovery.

Since physical ailments cannot always be explained in medical ways, psychiatric analysis is often helpful. Many conditions can be significantly improved with a different mindset. One should not assume that their physical symptoms are being ignored when referred for psychiatric help. They should instead seek a holistic approach to healing.

Frances, Allen MD and First, Michael B. MD. Your Mental Health: A Layman’s Guide to
the Psychiatrist’s Bible. New York: Scribner, 1998.

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