What is psychosomatic illness (II)?

  When the onset and evolution of human diseases are clearly related to psychological and social factors, they can be called psychosomatic diseases, and human personality, temperament, passive behavior patterns, anxiety, tension and other emotions are all psychological and social factors. Mentally – the unstable state of the “mind” can be expressed through physical symptoms, and conversely physical discomfort can also have an impact on the functioning of the “mind”.  Some people may have had the experience of feeling unwell, but no abnormality was found after a systematic examination in the hospital. The doctor may say that it is probably a mental effect, there is no big problem; or he may say that we should go to a Chinese medicine doctor and take some herbal medicine to take care of it. Now it seems that these should be the precursors of psychosomatic diseases. If we ignore the symptoms and discomfort, they may lead to organic diseases over time; if we choose Chinese medicine to treat them in a timely manner, the further development of the state will be curbed.  With the development of human society, the improvement of living standards, and the advancement of medical treatment, the diseases endangering human beings have changed from infectious exogenous diseases to endogenous diseases caused by mental and psychological stress. The incidence of psychosomatic diseases has also been increasing and expanding year by year, with women being higher than men, urban than rural areas, mental than physical workers, and economically developed than underdeveloped areas.  At present, the main psychosomatic diseases generally recognized are: (a) cardiovascular system: coronary heart disease, primary hypertension, standing hypotension, irregular heart rate, etc.  (ii) Digestive system: gastric and duodenal ulcers, gastric cramps, ulcerative colitis, allergic intestinal syndrome, acute gastric mucosal lesions, psychogenic (psychogenic) anorexia, non-ulcer dyspepsia (non-ulcer dyspepsia), etc.  (iii) Respiratory system: bronchial asthma, hyperventilation syndrome, neurotic cough, etc.  (D) Endocrine and metabolic system: diabetes mellitus, hyperthyroidism, feeding disorders (food refusal, over-eating disorder), psychogenic polyphagia, obesity, etc.  (E) Nervous and muscular system: tension headache, migraine, spastic squint, blepharospasm, psychogenic vertigo, plant nerve disorder, cervical-arm syndrome, etc.  (vi) Genitourinary system: enuresis, impotence, irregular menstruation, dysmenorrhea, premenstrual tension, etc.  (vii) Dermatology: urticaria, eczema, allergic dermatitis, itchy skin, etc.  (viii) Others: chronic pain In the diagnosis of psychosomatic disorders, it is most important not to neglect the physical examination, no matter how much the symptoms they present are related to psychological factors, in order to avoid missing the detection of major physical diseases that may be hidden behind psychiatric symptoms. Attention should also be paid to the differential diagnosis of physical disorders (without the influence of psychological factors), neurosis, and depression and schizophrenia. Due to the diversity of complaints and symptoms in patients with psychosomatic disorders, consultation and further detailed examination by other clinical departments should be considered when necessary.