Dr. Suzanne O’Sullivan is a famous neurologist, author of the book?It’s on your mind. In this work he immerses himself in the unknown world of psychosomatic diseases.
Psychosomatic diseases have long been known, but in the 21st century they continue to raise questions and cause many misunderstandings, many consider them simulations. They don’t know that, as O’Sullivan says, “the brain can make us sick. “
- Psychosomatic diseases are not false diseases.
- What happens is that your symptoms are caused by mental reasons.
Therefore, a psychosomatic pain in the legs is quite real, what happens is that the problem is not in the legs, who suffers it suffers as if there were really external damage, what happens is that this type of disease does not obey a physical reason, but a psychic condition. That is why we say that ‘the brain can make us sick’.
“Of ninety diseases, fifty are produced by guilt and forty out of ignorance. ” – Paolo Mantegazza-
Sullivan reminds us that all emotions generate physical changes, he gives as an example what one feels in the presence of the person one loves: butterflies in the stomach, it is a physical sensation born of feelings and emotions.
The same is true when, for example, we speak in public, the heart beats faster and the legs tremble.
In these examples no one doubts the link between emotions and physical manifestations, however, when we talk about psychosomatic diseases doubts arise.
Many believe that fear can actually cause leg tremors, but refuse to recognize that this fear, under certain circumstances, can lead to more severe symptoms.
This is a contradiction that many doctors also fall into. There is a strong tradition that leads us to separate the mind from the body and to consider the phenomena of the mind as “fictions” and physical phenomena as “real”.
If the two areas were separated, we would not feel “butterflies in the stomach” or chills in situations of high emotional burden.
It was a great surprise for Suzanne O’Sullivan he own to see that the brain can make us sick. At the beginning of her medical practice as a neurologist, she received patients with severe symptoms.
Many patients have had epileptic seizures, for example, however, during their research, they discovered that there was no neurological model to explain them.
He often wondered if these patients were faking it. Over time, he found out he wasn’t. These people had seizures and epilepsy in the same way as patients who could identify a neurological cause.
Thus he understood that sometimes the cause of a symptomatic state comes from the mind and not from the body, the manifestations of the disease are basically the same, what varies is the origin and, therefore, the recommended intervention protocol.
“Sullivan says many of his patients were disappointed, even irritated, when they were told their problem was psychosomatic. They used to ask for a repeat of the exams or ask for a second opinion.
One way or another, it was supposed to be good news for them, but it wasn’t. In many cases, people feel like they’re considered “crazy. “
In this sense, it seems that we are much less able to identify emotional symptoms than to camouflage them, so this discomfort often returns as a physical symptom, which is usually psychosomatic.
Then, after being diagnosed, the person must recognize what they have previously decided to ignore and many are un prepared for this or do not believe in this relationship.
There is a World Health Organization (WHO) study that found that one in five people have at least six physical symptoms that cannot be explained for organic reasons, i. e. they have psychosomatic problems.
Another study notes that, among hospitalized patients, at least 30% are cases of psychosomatic diseases.
In many cases, the problem remains the resistance of many patients to accept the diagnosis; Its fear of an organic cause that has not been warned or the motivation to simplify intervention, holding medicines or surgical procedures accountable, are two of the main constructs of this resistance.
On the other hand, it is a problem, because active patient collaboration is needed to attack what is reduced and produces symptoms.
In any case, suffering is real and, therefore, our duty as a society is to continue researching, while dispelling many myths around psychosomatic diseases.