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(NGHA) – In spite of progress of
sciences, development of civilization, abundance of life pleasures and
indulgence of joy, the psychiatric and mental diseases still exist and such
aspects did not protect a person from suffering but rather keeps him
thinking of his life tragedies. Many of modern epidemic diseases indicate
the spread of the psychiatry disease among nations. There is no difference
in this regard between developing and industrial countries. However, they
differ in disease forms.
Thus, psychiatry diseases
became widely spread in our modern life to an extent that makes us call it
the era of “Anxiety”. This is not surprising due to pressures, speed and
psychiatric crises of our life.
Therefore a group of physical diseases that cant be interpreted,
appeared in spite of the modern diagnosis techniques. Therefore attention
was given to the psychiatric factors that play role in creating,
activating, or prolonging these diseases especially there is a relationship
between the soul and the body. It is an exchanging, equal relationship
within rules that show organic nature in the end in an ideal human form. As
the soul affects the body negatively or positively, the body also affects the
soul in a similar manner.
Therefore the importance of
the psychosomatic approach (soul-body) became prominent in medicine and
people started talking about psychosomatic disturbances. It is a group of
physical diseases created mainly by psychological factors. Scientific
researches show that passion reactions increase theses physical diseases or
prolong them.
In our daily life, there
are many passions with different grades. We live with them and they go
together with certain circumstances and situations. We overcome them
sometimes and they fade in others. This process of harmony and adaptation
indicates our suitability and enriches our life. However, the severe or
chronic passions result in imbalance and its continuity ends up in
psychosomatic disturbances. As these passions have a role in creating these
disturbances, the way a person reacts to things and his personality have
also a role.
The suppression of fear,
anxiety, anger and other feelings make certain organs of the body suffer.
There might be a specific organ that suffers for several reasons. It might
be due to a congenital deficiency in that organ or due to previous
experiences the person had in which he saw one of his relatives, friends
facing similar complaint. The nature of passion role, symbolic meaning of
that organ and secondary earnings obtained by that individual play role in
forming the disease image.
These matters are shown for
the psychiatrist when studying patient’s complaint and when conducting a
thorough study of the disease history.
The psychosomatic
disturbances are common, and studies indicate that around 40% to 60 %
patients who visit the doctors suffer these disturbances. These
disturbances lay behind a lot of absence cases among employees and among
military staff who visit clinics. Examples of such disturbances are stomach
ulcer, colon ulcer and chronic gastric infection. It is known that that the
direct reason of the gastric ulcer is the excessive secretion of stomach
acidity, which causes the stomach walls to erupt and corrode. However, the
excessive stomach acid by itself results in chronic pressures and the
continuing state of tension. Essential hypertension is one of the cases
that can’t be interpreted on a physical basis. It is well known that
agitation and tension encourage secretion of some substances such as
Adrenalin, which results in hypertension. In Medicine, there is what is
called “Anxiety Neurosis” which has psychiatric symptoms such as
palpitation, shortness of breath, chest pain. In this case physical reasons
should be neglected in a sound manner. Sudden death or a cardiac disease
for the patient’s acquaintances might accompany this case. It might be also due to the
increasing attention of the doctor to negate or affirm the cardiac disease
for a patient. Usually, these people think a lot about their bodies and
exaggerate in estimating any minor symptom and they are afraid of death and
try to seek secondary advantages.
Many scientific researches
indicate the role of psychological factors in erupting the Asthma attacks,
quartan fever and bronchitis.
In a study for Asthmatic
pediatric patients, it became clear that they are strongly connected with
their mothers and they don’t want to leave them but rather strengthen this
relationship. They are afraid to leave their mothers. Some thought Asthma
Attack is a mercy call for the mother.
This also applies to the
dermatic diseases. As the skin is the external cover of the body, it is the
sense organ that reacts to the external effects. The skin is a mirror for
the soul. It becomes red in state of shame, the face becomes pale in state
of fear and the hair stands up in case of horror. A lot of ringworms,
itching cases are mainly caused by psychological factors.
Heavy responsibilities,
continuing states of tension and disappointment may lead to pain, myospasm,
lower back pain and even joint infection. Such cases are not few in
military clinics.
We should not also neglect
the irregular menstrual period and its accompanying symptoms .For example,
severe pain and tension. In addition there are severe responses that
accompany the menopause and the feeling of “lack of reassurance” as well as
usual persistence of females for self-fulfillment as wives and mothers.
If we talk about obesity,
which is among the modern diseases that a lot of people suffer, we should
not hide the psychological factors. People sometimes resort to food as
alternative of missing feelings of love, security. On the contrary, they
might lose their appetite especially with children and this sometimes
indicates a hidden aggression towards parents. Sometimes it is a
self-punishment that follows a feeling of guilt.
A lot of chronic diarrhea,
constipation or involuntary urination in children have important
psychological indications. In spite of the contradictions of opinions among
these issues, there is a semi-agreement that there are tense severe
pressures and feelings of anxiety, guilt and disappointment.
As we notice, the effect of
psychological factors in a lot of the body organs should not be
underestimated. Some modern researches confirmed that there is a connection
between cancer and the psychological factors. It was also proven that the
immunity systems are connected with the person’s mood. Our concerns as
doctors about social factors around a patient and his psychological state
will help us discover the truth and causes of his medical condition and
this might be the key to the treatment.
By
Dr. Osaima Khair
Consultant, Psychiatry
Department
King Fahad National Guard
Hospital
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