The most popular problem of our time is the appearance in a person of pain of a different nature. This problem is especially acute in general somatic medicine and psychiatry. To summarize what has been said, then all human life is aimed at every possible avoidance of discomfort: both physical and mental, both strong and weak. At the moment when the patient suddenly has pain, he perceives it differently within the range of trouble. Some feel mild discomfort, while others are acute and unbearable torment. One of the types of pain can be called psychogenic pain.
Discomfort Features
In fact, pain always plays a signaling role in the human body. He talks about the presence of problems in the functioning of organs or systems, about trauma or disease. In a word, indicates the source of the ailment. Pain syndrome is one of the symptoms of the disease and exists in order to indicate it in a short period of time. So a person will be able to begin surgical treatment of pathology, preventing the deterioration of the condition.
The intensity and nature of the arising pain, as a rule, correlates with the existing malaise in the body: the stronger the pathology, the more intense the discomfort. After eliminating the disease, the source of malaise is quickly eliminated and ceases to disturb the patient. But it should be remembered that in some cases the pain syndrome may still not correspond to the nature of the damage, or the discomfort may not go away even after the body is completely restored.
If the discomfort persists for 3-6 months, then the doctor will consider the presence of a chronic pain syndrome in the patient. In this case, the pain has an organic basis.
The attending physicians classify the following types of pain: neuropathic, nociceptive and psychogenic. The latter form arises only in the event of the appearance of psycho-traumatic situations or psychological conflicts in a person’s life.
What diseases is typical?
According to V. Levy, this type of malaise most often occurs in people who are prone to auto-aggressive behavior and suicide. Such a state is observed, as a rule, in such conditions:
- neurosis;
- stress;
- schizophrenia;
- hysterical disorder;
- panic disorder;
- post-traumatic syndrome;
- neurasthenia;
- hypochondria;
Cardialgia is another disease that is characterized by pain of this type.
The main characteristics of psychalgia include:
- pain does not have an exact location;
- discomfort spreads in the back, heart, stomach and head;
- vague pain that does not have a specific character;
- discomfort does not go away even after taking medication;
- together with pain, the patient often feels emotional emptiness and indifference.
Differences from simple pain
The main distinguishing feature is the fact that a person creates psychogenic pain for himself and himself can get rid of it.
For example, if he worked all day under stressful conditions, then by the end he may experience severe pain in the joints and muscles. Headaches can sometimes appear.
Such a process is considered quite natural, since all reactions in the body come from the brain, and the mental state is often disturbed due to other problems.
Varieties of malaise
Psychogenic pain syndrome is divided into the following varieties:
- Pain that occurs as a result of the negative impact of a number of emotional factors that traumatize the psyche of events. The occurrence of such unpleasant sensations can be explained by excessive muscle tension.
- Pain syndrome that appears at the time of delirium or hallucination. The patient gets rid of the discomfort immediately after getting rid of the disease that led to it.
- Pain due to prolonged depression appears as a result of a decrease in the produced neurotransmitter serotonin. As a result of this process, the pain threshold of sensitivity is significantly reduced and the patient has subthreshold pains in which he feels suppressed.
Psychogenic pain syndrome cannot be characterized by the presence of a somatic basis that could provoke it. The patient most often determines the site of the spread of discomfort, damage in which diseases (even if they were) could not provoke pain of such intensity.
Sometimes damage to the somatosensory system is actually detected through research in the clinic, but they cannot explain the severity and intensity of the pain defect. The main role in this case is played not by the pathological process and not by injuries, but by factors emotional and traumatic to the human psyche.
Detailed description of each process
The biological basis of psychogenic spasms is the nociceptive system: persistent pain occurs after activation of nocireceptors, usually due to tension in the muscles.
The process can also activate the sympathetic nervous system of a person, which leads to retrograde excitation of receptors of the nociceptive system and sensitization. One example of such a process may be the appearance of areas with increased sensitivity to pain stimulation (for example, in the presence of fibromyalgia and headache).
When treating psychogenic itching, it is most important to determine the cause of the pain syndrome. Only after identifying this factor can a full recovery be achieved with the help of medical and psychological assistance. Also, when conducting diagnostic measures, it is important to consult a doctor who will help determine the presence of a connection between pain and mental disorder (schizophrenia and depression).
The main causes of the condition
The main causes of the appearance of psychogenic pain include:
- Constant complaints from a person about his poor emotional state. For example, “heart is breaking” or “head in a vise”.
- The feeling of insufficient attention from other people - relatives, friends. This condition is typical for people who like to be sick, because it is at this time that others care for them and show the maximum level of attention.
- The desire to constantly keep everything under control. The stronger we go into consciousness, the more we see within ourselves chronic deficiencies, thereby suppressing our mood and worsening our moral mood. It is this factor that leads to the occurrence of pain of a psychogenic nature.
- With regular stress of the person at work, in the family, as well as if he is in tension most of the day.
The main types of malaise
Pain syndrome of a psychogenic nature is divided into types that differ from each other in certain characteristics:
- Head psychalgia. Symptom of psychalgia with neurosis can include increasing aching pain. It occurs in a person against the background of psychological stress, nervous experiences and various fears. Most often, adults suffer from it, the psyche of which is unstable and is easily amenable to any external influence. Pain of this nature can last for days, weeks, and sometimes even months. A prolonged depressive state may form.
- Dorsalgia. A condition that occurs due to mental disorders. Psychogenic back pain can be quickly and easily eliminated.
- Abdominal syndrome. Nerve pain in the abdomen is associated with the digestive system. In this case, the patient complains of discomfort in the intestines or stomach. Most often, malaise is manifested due to stress, lack of attention from others, increased concentration on small problems, their failures and other difficulties, on which a person with a stable psyche and sober outlook on life does not pay much attention.
- Cardialgia This is an acute pain in the region of the heart. The condition is characterized by periodic discomfort, which cannot be eliminated even with the help of medicines. Discomfort occurs due to a psychogenic disorder and is diagnosed in patients who are constantly working and are under stress.
Symptoms of the disease
Symptoms of malaise can be different and differ greatly in their severity. Most often, weakness, fatigue, aching or stitching syndromes spreading around the head, arms, legs, back and heart are included here. Some patients have distraction, memory loss (minor events), complete or partial lack of appetite, and sleep problems.
Possible complications
Many people know the saying that all diseases come from the head. Therefore, the danger of a psychogenic pain syndrome should not be underestimated. These include depression on an ongoing basis, severe stress, difficulty remembering and problems with the functioning of the whole organism.
Diagnostic measures
Determining whether a person has a certain part of the body that hurts due to a serious problem or because of simple overwork and exposure to stressful situations is quite difficult. If any symptoms occur, it is important to begin with to determine where the problem is coming from, eliminate the risk of a disease in a particular body system, and only then begin treatment of organs and psyche.
Who may arise?
The treatment of psychogenic pain should be a complete rest of the body. If a person is in constant stress and tension, then to get rid of unpleasant symptoms he needs to give rest and time to recover. Otherwise, the patient may develop serious disorders and truly dangerous diseases.
At risk are people who think a lot about their work, are constantly stressed, take all the responsibility of other people on themselves, want to control any detail.
It is important to remember that psychogenic pain is not as safe as it might seem. Permanent nervousness as a result can lead to diseases of the heart, digestive system, back and head. It is worth more time to devote to activities that bring real pleasure and do not make you worry much.
Treatment Methods
Therapeutic measures aimed at eliminating psychogenic pain are most often based on the use of light sedative and anti-anxiety drugs, soothing herbal tinctures, and sometimes (with a serious form of mental conflict) even tranquilizers and antidepressants.
Often, various methods of psychotherapy are used to eliminate pain, which most often with a single use do not give the desired result. The following therapeutic methods are known in the treatment of psychogenic pain:
- cognitive-behavioral;
- body oriented;
- psychoanalysis.
When using the cognitive-behavioral approach, the main goal is to establish a general psychological picture of the appearance of pain. The second step will be the implementation of special exercises aimed at relieving discomfort and discomfort.
In this case, patients are given special psychological techniques that effectively deal with stress and help relieve stress. For people who are constantly anxious and keenly perceive any events in life, the doctor develops a specialized program to combat fear.
Body-oriented psychotherapy is aimed at identifying the problems of psychalgia and creating a special protective block in the form of clamped muscles of the arms, legs, stooped shoulders and another. According to experts who actively use this technique, for the correction of psychogenic pains, you just need to get rid of muscle clamps through specialized respiratory and physical exercises.
Psychoanalysis is the analysis of the psychogenic syndrome as a reaction to the effects of serious traumatic factors. A patient who regularly finds himself in conflict situations and quarrels with people displaces them to an unconscious level, not solving a problem situation, but putting it into the background.
But it is important to remember that if you try to forget about the insult for a while, then after some time it will certainly make itself felt and may even develop into conditions such as psychogenic pain in the neck, long depression, nervous breakdown and other psychological problems. The psychoanalytic treatment method helps to determine the main cause of the ailment, and also allows patients to quickly get rid of an urgent problem, without bringing the situation to a state where there is a risk of serious illness.
List of psychotherapists in St. Petersburg
If there is persistent pain, it is recommended to contact the following specialists from St. Petersburg:
- Bragar Maria Alexandrovna. Work experience is 15 years. The cost of admission is 3,000 rubles.
- Verzhenskaya Yanina Yuryevna. Work experience 28 years. The cost of admission is 3,000 rubles.
- Chuban Olga Ivanovna. Work experience 9 years. The price for the consultation is 3,200 rubles.
No need to be afraid to report your problems and start treatment. Psychotherapists in St. Petersburg will help to quickly find the cause of the pain and will choose a comfortable therapy for the patient.