Do you feel any kind of pain or discomfort that doesn't go away? Have you been to the doctor several times and are you worried about getting sick or serious?
First of all, you must rule out that there is an organic cause (purely physical) that explains the origin of this pain/discomfort. Obviously, psychological factors influence the course of a disease, but it is important to know if the role they play is as a "regulator" or if it is the cause.
Normally, in the psychosomatic area, there is an underlying vulnerability (for example, atopic skin) whose symptoms worsen if we are depressed or feel anxious (for example, eczema appears). That is, a low or altered mood depresses our immune system, it becomes less effective and the recovery process slows down.
but... can I develop a somatic symptom disorder?
For such a diagnosis to exist, there must be one or more somatic symptoms that cause significant discomfort or problems in daily life (or a serious symptom, often pain). Symptoms can be specific (pain located in one part of the body) or nonspecific (fatigue). Additionally, there are excessive thoughts, feelings, or behaviors related to somatic symptoms (for example, taking your temperature multiple times, frequently seeing your doctor, spending a lot of time searching the Internet, having conversations about symptoms).
How is it different from hypochondria?
The central characteristic of hypochondria, or "illness anxiety," is the worry about having or contracting a serious illness. There are no somatic symptoms (or very mild ones). The person performs frequent checks in search of signs of illness in their body and may acquire medical material to monitor their physiological processes at home.
The fundamental idea to differentiate both diagnoses, in case the patient reports physical discomfort, is that in hypochondria the individual's distress does not fundamentally come from the physical ailment itself, but rather from the suspicion of suffering from a serious illness (catastrophization). ).
If you have lived (or live) with these symptoms, it may be interesting for you to know that in psychological therapy you can work on a high level of concern for health and modify the evaluations and interpretations of bodily symptoms as threatening or harmful. If this topic resonates with you, do not hesitate to contact us to evaluate your case and be able to guide you better.
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