We all know or have experienced firsthand that moment when your head starts to hurt for no apparent reason, or you start to have discomfort. So, you go to the doctor, but they can’t find anything clear either, you start to feel worse and you feel weak. When you stop to think, it turns out that you have been under a lot of stress and that has caused you anxiety.
What relationship do your discomforts have with anxiety? Why do they occur and how to calm them? We are talking about a phenomenon called somatization, which affects more women than men in our society and which, if not treated properly, can lead to a psychological disorder: somatization disorder or somatic symptoms. In this Psychology-Online article you will see how to stop somatizing. Discover what this condition is and how to cure it, as well as what its most common symptoms and causes are.
What is somatization in psychology
The term somatization was introduced by Stekel (1943) as a hypothetical process by which a deep-seated neurosis could cause a bodily disorder. Later, contrary positions emerged such as that of Lipowski, who conceived somatization as a tendency to experience psychological discomfort in the form of somatic symptoms which the subject mistakenly interprets as a sign of some severe physical illness.
Currently, somatization can be defined as multiple physical discomforts whose origin is psychological. According to the DSM-V, somatizations can lead to a somatization disorder, classified within somatoform disorders, what we currently know as somatic symptom disorder.
Characteristics of somatization disorder
Somatic symptom disorder is defined as the presence of multiple and recurrent somatic symptoms over a long period of time. The main characteristics are to suffer pain, shortness of breath, physical weakness, tiredness and they can vary in intensity and manifestation. Pain is normally the most common symptom and it can be associated with thoughts and behaviors such as the following:
- about the possibility of suffering from one or some diseases.
- Associate physical symptoms as signs of serious illnesses.
- Difficulty in obtaining a clear medical diagnosis due to lack of tests and evidence.
- Constant review of the body looking for anomalies.
- Perception of more intense symptoms than even suffering from a medical illness.
The fact that these somatic symptoms normally do not have an organic origin causes patients to frequent different health care services in order to find a definitive diagnosis and treatment. As a consequence, by somatizing and not identifying its causes, different associated psychopathologies may appear such as, stress and depression.
Generally, somatic disease or somatization disorder manifests itself at the beginning of adulthood, approximately around the age of 30, and its prevalence in the general population is 5 to 7%.
Symptoms of somatization
The somatic symptoms that a person may experience can be classified into different categories. Next, we will show you how to know if you are somatizing:
- Dolores: They manifest in four or more different areas such as the head, abdomen, back, joints, extremities, thorax or rectum.
- Gastrointestinal disorders: presence of nausea and abdominal bloating.
- sexual dysfunctions: irregular menstruations in women or erectile or ejaculatory dysfunction in men. In this article you will find more information about the .
- Pseudoneurological disorders: altered coordination and balance, paralysis or muscle weakness, difficulty swallowing, aphonia, urinary sensation, blindness, loss of consciousness, among others.
In addition to the symptoms of somatization mentioned above, the person may have excessive thoughts, feelings, or behaviors associated with health concerns.
Causes of somatization
Somatization has been associated in numerous cases with anxiety disorders. In this sense, and following the definition offered by Lipowski, somatization is understood as the transformation of cognitive symptoms and affective alterations into real physical illnesses or ailments that aggravate, or appear due to stress and/or due to sustained high levels of anxiety in the time.
In this case, somatic symptoms are understood to be the emotional expression on a physical level. In this way, we could determine that the cause of somatization disorder is an untreated psychological afflictiongenerally associated with anxiety or emotional disturbances.
If you are wondering what causes somatization, there is currently no specific and defined etiology to explain why this phenomenon appears, but we can conclude that there are different predisposing factors that generate a vulnerability to suffer from it and that explain why it happens to some people and not to others. Let’s see which ones:
- Biological factors how to be more sensitive to pain.
- Genetic factors.
- Family background: family and personal medical history of anxiety or depression.
- Personal factors: educational level, less perception to identify and process emotions, anxious personality or neuroticism.
- Environmental factors: having recently experienced stressful life events, unemployment, social stress and social reinforcing factors by complaining about ailments
- Victims of sexual abuse or physical abuse in childhood.
In some cases, it should be noted that somatization appears due to the existence of another previous medical pathology such as cancer or heart disease, among others.
Types of somatization disorders
There are different forms of somatization included within and registered as disorders in the DSM-V. Next, we will show you what they are:
- Somatic symptom disorder.
- Anxiety disorder due to illness or hypochondria.
- Conversion disorder.
- Disorder with psychological factors that influence other medical conditions.
- .
How to cure somatization
How to stop somatizing? This disorder can be treated in different ways that you will see below.
Cognitive-behavioral psychology approach
The current is responsible for working on behavioral aspects, thoughts and other psychological aspects that may be harming the patient’s psychological functioning.
This treatment helps stop somatization in the following way:
- Relieves symptoms of pain.
- It helps to become aware of the existence of this problem.
- Provides tools for manage negative thoughts recurring.
- Reduces and improves stress management. In this article you will see.
- It allows have better well-being and quality of life.
Raise awareness about the environment and oneself
When it comes to stopping somatization, it is also important to work with the environment and cognitions, so that the individual cannot obtain social benefits for expressing their complaints. The objective is eliminate social reinforcers that are directly involved in the maintenance of somatization.
Go to a psychologist
When in doubt about how to cure somatization if the patient suffers from other psychological disorders, such as depression or anxiety, it is essential look for a specialized professional to stop somatizing. Pharmacological treatment, using antidepressant and/or anxiolytic drugs, is also recommended in these cases to relieve the symptoms of depression or anxiety. A combination of this treatment along with psychological treatment would be the most recommended by specialists.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to How to stop somatizingwe recommend that you enter our category.
References
- American psychiatric association, (2014). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders DSM – 5. Madrid, Spain. Pan-American medical publishing house.
Bibliography
- Belloch, A., Sandín, B., Ramos, F., (2009). Manual of psychopathology, volume II. Madrid. McGraw Hill / Interamericana de España, SAU