According to the results of numerous scientific studies, it became known that about 86% of all diseases have a psychological basis. Among the causes of the appearance of various ailments, the emotional sphere of a person occupies a leading position, secondary factors are environmental influences: infections, viruses, hypothermia, etc. Many doctors believe that constipation is not an exception in this case, it occurs due to the psychological discomfort of a person. Therefore, psychosomatics for constipation is considered by medical professionals as one of the factors in the appearance of the disease.
Description of the problem
Constipation is a difficult bowel movement. This ailment is inherent in half of the adult and children's population of the planet. Normally, the number of bowel movements ranges from three times a day to three times a week. With constipation, there is a feeling of incomplete bowel movement after bowel movements, a small amount of feces. The presence of one of these signs suggests that a person is characterized by constipation, whose psychosomatics will be discussed below. This disease appears at the age of twenty-five to forty years, in the future it is exacerbated. In old age, the disease occurs many times more often. It is customary to distinguish organic and functional constipation. The former include anatomical changes in the intestine, while the latter include a disorder of the psychoemotional sphere.
Functional constipation
With this type of ailment, there is a lack of bowel movement for up to three days, pain and bloating, prolonged urge to defecate, which ends in success. In this case, no intestinal changes occur. Functional constipation belongs to the group of diseases that are combined in SLE (irritable bowel syndrome). They often have a chronic form and are not always cured.
Many people who have this pathology do not recognize themselves as sick, they do not turn to doctors, since the ailment does not affect the quality of their life. Other people see a doctor because they experience a sense of discomfort that affects their lives. When interviewing patients, they reveal the psychosomatics of constipation, which manifests itself with an abundance of stress and neurosis, mental disorders and disorders of the emotional sphere, as well as certain living conditions. Therefore, treatment should be done not only by a gastroenterologist, but also by a neurologist with a psychologist.
Constipation of a psychological nature
Very often, due to psychological problems, constipation, psychosomatics, the causes of which will be discussed later. With psychological constipation, disturbances in the human autonomic nervous system are observed, as a result of which intestinal motility slows down. About ten percent of people have these problems and go to the toilet once every three days. Some experts consider this the norm, which does not require treatment. It is usually difficult to determine the cause of psychological constipation in a person, since the diagnosis requires other symptoms, such as bloating, insomnia, or abdominal pain.
Freud about the problem
Studying the problem of intestinal dysfunction, the Austrian psychiatrist found that most often the psychosomatics of constipation in adults is manifested when a person has a stubborn character, a tendency to frugality and a deep pedantic love of cleanliness. These three qualities are now commonly called Freud's anal triad. Of course, this assumption is controversial, today it is unclear how these factors affect the development of pathology.
Sigmund Freud argued that in the case when parents force their children to share all their things or, conversely, incline them to greed, the child develops a restraining personality type. When he grows up, he becomes restrained and controlling, he is characterized by obstinacy, conservatism, and sometimes cruelty. Such people cannot stand the mess, it is difficult to part with the past. This type of personality is characterized by a deep attitude, which is manifested by constant limitations and need.
These personality traits manifest themselves very strongly, such is their psychosomatics of constipation. People with such a pathology are outwardly calm, but inside they experience very strong stress, which makes it difficult to relax the intestines.
Sinelnikov V.V. on the problem of constipation
Sinelnikov - a homeopathic doctor - claims that constipation is a symbol of unwillingness to get rid of obsolete thoughts, in this case a person constantly clings to his past, is afraid to refuse something in life, fearing the inability to make up for the loss - this is the psychosomatics of constipation. Sinelnikov says, in order to get rid of the disease, it is necessary to remove all old unnecessary things from the house and put new ones in their place. Many psychologists and psychiatrists believe that diseases arise due to a special perception of the world. To find the cause of the disease, you need to plunge into your inner world and understand what could negatively affect your physical condition. We need to learn to relax psychologically, get rid of self-control, old thoughts and limitations, develop creative thinking and good mood.
Psychology of constipation in adults and adolescents
The psychosomatics of constipation in adolescents and adults is the presence in people of psychological causes of the development of an ailment. These include:
- Stress. A person who is constantly in psychological stress is more prone to constipation than a balanced person. Bad emotions, anger, fear, etc. cause severe tightness of the anal muscles, which leads to difficulties in bowel movements. Constipation can also occur due to fear of changing something in life, letting go of the past.
- Diseases of the nervous system and mental disorders.
- Character features. People who are self-contained and uncommunicative, do not share their emotions and experiences, may have problems in the form of frequent constipation.
- The often changing work schedule, in which a person does not develop the habit of going to the toilet at the same time, restrains the desire to empty oneself, puts it off for another time. All this causes compaction of feces, which leads to complication of bowel movements.
- Frequent trips and trips in which a person is uncomfortable to defecate in unfamiliar conditions, which leads to the impossibility of relaxation and impaired bowel movements.
Psychosomatics of constipation in children
The phenomenon of psychological constipation occurs in children from the age of two years, when the child is independently accustomed to going to the toilet. This is one of the first functions, which involves the presence of awareness in the baby, the formation of self-control and self-regulation. But the child, feeling the need for bowel movement, specifically suffers, which leads to the hardening of feces. This happens in some cases due to the fact that sometimes bowel movements caused pain and discomfort. The child, remembering such sensations, will suffer the next time, refusing to go to the toilet, so as not to experience discomfort again. This is the psychosomatics of constipation in a young child.
In other cases, pathology occurs in kindergarten, where a new unfamiliar environment is present. Nervous experiences, stresses that arise during this, cause difficulty in bowel movement. Also, in some cases, the parents of the children, accustoming them to the potty, are very demanding and persistent, they make the child "do it." The behavior of such parents becomes the cause of psychological constipation.
Symptoms of constipation
The frequency of bowel movements in people suffering from this disease can be from once every three days to once a week. In some cases, there is pain in the abdomen, a feeling of fullness, which disappears after a bowel movement. A common symptom is bloating, decreased appetite, and a bad taste in the mouth. At the same time, in adults, a decrease in working capacity is observed, headaches, nervousness, and sleep disorder appear.
Treatment of psychological constipation
Now you know what constipation psychosomatics is. Long-term treatment is necessary, including work on oneself, elimination of complexes and experiences, sources of stress. To get rid of the disease, psychologists recommend restoring positive thinking, learning to believe in oneself, perceive new sensations. A person should be able to tune in to positive, be in a good mood, pass it on to the people around him. It is also recommended that through training and meditation learn to relax.
Adhering to these rules and tips, you can also use medications for constipation, an integrated approach will help get rid of the problem faster. As medicines, suppositories, drugs, suspensions and enemas are used. You also need to eat right, lead an active lifestyle, drink plenty of water. The most important rule here is a timely trip to the toilet at the first call, you can not tolerate and postpone this procedure. It is recommended to accustom the body to defecate at the same time daily.
Treating children
The child is struggling with psychological constipation. Parents are advised to pay attention to their child's complaints on time, such as lack of appetite, pain, or bloating. Nutrition of the child must be varied with vegetables and fruits, dairy products. Together with this, parents should talk with their children about their problems, it is necessary to find out the cause of constipation and explain to the child how to deal with them.
You can tell your child that it is unsafe to endure, because you can get sick. But you can’t scare children. You need to be patient and praise the baby, even for trying to go to the toilet, albeit unsuccessful. It is also recommended to reduce control over the child, giving him more freedom. We can’t say that going to the toilet is ugly and disgusting, as children develop a sense of guilt.
Of course, constipation of a psychological nature is an unpleasant problem, but it can be eliminated by directing efforts to change habits, diet and regimen.