With the development of modern medicine, the medical model has shifted from the biomedical model to the biological, psychological, environmental and social medical model. The new model of modern medicine has opened up new horizons for the use of modern scientific methods and means to prevent and cure diseases and improve human health; and new disciplines and theories will emerge to adapt to this, thus greatly promoting the development of modern medicine; psychosomatic medicine will continue to develop and improve on this basis.
Psychosomatic medicine is a discipline that regards human as a person with both physical and mental activities and inseparable from the environment, with biological and social properties, and uses a holistic concept to treat patients’ diseases and promote human health. Psychosomatic medicine is a branch of medical science; it is one of the important components of the contemporary medical psychology system; it is an interdisciplinary discipline; but it is not a branch of psychiatry.
Psychosomatic medicine believes that: the serious objective events in life that individuals cannot tolerate are the external conditions of disease; character defects are the core factors of susceptibility and are the endogenous causes and basis of psychosomatic diseases; psychosomatic diseases are characterized by the interlocking influence and joint action of endogenous and exogenous factors; therefore, the value and significance of the existence of psychosomatic medicine is to challenge the deep-rooted concept of psychosomatic separation and the purely biological medical model of modern medicine. Therefore, the value and significance of psychosomatic medicine is a challenge to the deep-rooted concept of mind-body separation and the purely biomedical model of modern medicine, and it encourages people to use a holistic medical view to understand the nature of life, health and disease.
In other words, it is a science that studies the interrelationship between the mind and the body, and the interrelationship of biological, psychological and social factors in human health and disease.
The terms physical and mental illness and psychosomatic illness do not seem to be very different at first glance, but in fact, psychosomatic illness is not the same as physical and mental illness.
In terms of the substance of human diseases, there are two major categories: physical disorders and mental disorders. Somatic disorders can be divided into psychosomatic and non-psychosomatic disorders. Mental disorders can be divided into psychiatric disorders, non-psychiatric disorders, and mental retardation.
Physical and psychosomatic diseases are two different disciplines, and different methods and means should be used to study and deal with them respectively.
Physical and mental diseases are caused by physiological changes in the human organism that lead to psychological and behavioral changes in individuals, such as senile dementia, menstrual stress, menopausal syndrome, etc. These physiological changes lead to psychological and behavioral changes. The psychological and behavioral changes caused by these physiological changes are not related to the person’s social awareness or the person’s awareness of self, and their psychological and behavioral changes are not under the control of self-consciousness.
The development process of psychosomatic diseases is exactly the opposite of physical and mental diseases. Psychosomatic diseases are caused by changes in the person’s values about various events that occur in his or her life, study and work environment, including the adverse stimulation of malignant events, and changes in self-understanding, resulting in an imbalance in the psychological state. The imbalance of the psychological state eventually affects the physiological changes of the body, and psychosomatic transformation occurs, such as hysteria, psychogenic impotence, compulsive behavior, etc.
People often confuse physical and psychosomatic diseases with psychosomatic diseases, for one thing, physical and psychosomatic diseases can also have mental problems, and for another, people suffering from physical and psychosomatic diseases cannot get rid of their own physical pain and have a negative perception of their own personality, at this time, the patient’s mental performance seems to be the same as the mental performance of psychosomatic diseases. On the other hand, when the psychosomatic disease patient has an unbalanced psychological state due to social stimuli and self-awareness problems, he or she will also have similar physical pain as the psychosomatic disease patient when he or she becomes ill.
Psychosomatic disorders, also known as psychophysical disorders
(psychophsiological disorders), refers to a group of disorders that are closely related to psychological and social factors, but with physical symptoms as the main manifestation. Although the relationship between psychological factors and diseases was recognized early, it was not until the 1930s that the scientific concept of psychosomatic medicine and psychosomatic diseases was introduced on an experimental basis.
The formation and development of psychosomatic medicine implies an important change in the understanding of human health and disease, which is a clear sign of the transformation from the “biomedical model” in the past to the “biopsychosocial medical model” in modern times, and is also the result of the development of physician science along with the progress of human society. It is also the result of the development of physician science along with the progress of human society.
At present, the scope of psychosomatic diseases is very broad, mainly including diseases of the system or organ governed by the vegetative nerves, caused by emotional factors, with physical symptoms as the main manifestation. The classification of psychosomatic disorders differs from country to country, and the types of disorders included are very inconsistent. A more detailed classification developed by the American Academy of Psychophysiological Disorders
Combined with other relevant information is listed below.
1, psychosomatic diseases of the skin system neurodermatitis, pruritus, baldness, psoriasis, hyperhidrosis, chronic and other urticaria, eczema, etc.
2.Physical and psychological diseases of musculoskeletal system Low back pain, muscle pain, spastic sloping neck, writing spasm.
3.Physical and psychological diseases of the respiratory system Bronchial asthma, hyperventilation syndrome, neurotic cough.
4.Physical and psychological diseases of cardiovascular system Coronary atherosclerotic heart disease, paroxysmal tachycardia, arrhythmia, hypertension, migraine, hypotension, Raynaud disease.
5.Psychosomatic diseases of digestive system Gastric and duodenal ulcers, anorexia nervosa, neurotic vomiting, ulcerative enteritis, pyloric spasm, allergic colitis.
6.Physical and psychological diseases of the genitourinary system Menstrual disorders, PMS, functional bleeding, sexual dysfunction, urinary frequency, functional infertility.
7.Physical and psychological diseases of the endocrine system Hyperthyroidism, diabetes, hypoglycemia, Addison’s disease.
8.Psychosomatic diseases of the nervous system Spasticity, tension headache, sleep disorders, plant nerve dysfunction.
Other psychosomatic diseases belonging to ENT by discipline include: Meniere’s syndrome, foreign body sensation in the pharynx, etc.; psychosomatic diseases of ophthalmology include: primary glaucoma, blepharospasm, amblyopia, etc.; psychosomatic diseases of dentistry include: idiopathic tongue pain, oral ulcer, masticatory muscle spasm, etc.; other diseases related to psychological factors include cancer and obesity, etc.