A common misconception is that a psychosomatic disorder is imaginary or “all in the head.”
Psychosomatic symptoms are real and require treatment, just like any other illness.
Age-Based Psychosomatic Symptoms
Signs and symptoms of stress also vary by age.
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For example, a child who is having a hard time at school may have frequent stomachaches or headaches.
Stress in the teen yearscan be especially intense, particularly during periods of major social adjustment and hormonal shifts.
Frequently, adults attribute signs of stress to typical “teen angst” rather thanadolescent depression.
Compare your body to a pressure cooker.
If it’s allowed to vent its steam, it works efficiently.
If it cant release steam, the pressure continues to build until the lid blows off.
When the container can no longer hold in all the pressure, it will break at its weakest point.
This may result in physical symptoms or trigger an episode ofmajor depression.
In retrospect, you may recognize some warning signs that a break was coming.
For example, if you tend to strain your neck, you might experience increasedneck painwhen you’re stressed.
If none is obvious, coming up with a diagnosis and treatment plan can be tricky.
Somatic Symptom Disorder
Psychosomatic symptoms are sometimes diagnosed assomatic symptom disorder.
This is a condition in which people experience physical symptoms that cannot be connected to a medical condition.
Learning how to effectivelymanage stressis important, but it can take time.
This causes you very real physical pain that your healthcare provider can address.
Another way to think of psychosomatic illness is as a river that floods after a dam breaks.
The most effective way to prevent more flooding is to fix the dam.
However, the flooding thats already happened must be dealt with while the dam is being repaired.
Coping With Stress
There are different kinds of stress.
Positive stress, also known aseustress, keeps life invigorating and interesting.
It’s the feeling that makes you want to get up in the morning and keeps you motivated.
When you could identify your mainsources of stress, you could learn coping mechanisms.
Healthy coping methods abound; its just a matter of finding what works best for you.
Here are a few ideas to get you started.
Remember thateveryone handles stress in their own way.
Two people in the same stressful situation can react very differently.
First, accept that you are human, and allow yourself some grace.
Also let go of expectations and old guiltthe “shoulds” that have been guiding your behavior.
Remind yourself thatits OK to fall short of your goalsas long as you are trying and doing your best.
It describes pain that results from a person’s emotions, fears, or beliefs.
Your healthcare provider may run diagnostic tests to rule out medical causes.
If none are found, you may be diagnosed with a psychosomatic illness.
Getting this diagnosis as soon as possible is critical to starting treatment and improvement.
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