Psychogenic pain
May 04, 2021, by Psychosexology W/ Gayatri
Have your throat ever hurt when you were trying to hold back your tears??
Or you felt exhausted even without doing any physical efforts but only thinking for long time?? Have you ever wondered why you feel some pains?? It's not because there is something wrong with your body. But, there is something wrong going inside your mind. Not all pains are physical. Some pains are psychological. Our body often express what our mind cannot express. Just like pain can make you feel worse mentally, your mind can cause pain or can make preexisting pain increase or linger. Such pain is called as Psychogenic pain. Psychogenic pain is a pain disorder associated with psychological factors. Some types of mental or emotional problems can cause, increase or prolong pain. It is used to describe a pain disorder attributed to psychological factors. Such things as beliefs, fears, and strong emotions can cause, increase, or prolong pain.Depression, anxiety, and other emotional problems can cause pain or make existing pain worse. It may occur, rarely, in persons with a mental disorder, but more commonly it accompanies or is induced by social rejection, broken heart, grief, lovesickness, or other such emotional events. Causes may be linked to stress, unexpressed emotional conflicts, psychosocial problems, or various mental disorders. Some specialists believe that psychogenic chronic pain exists as a protective distraction to keep dangerous repressed emotions such as anger or rage unconscious.
Some theories suggest that it's due to pain memory, a condition that causes the nervous system to hold onto pain long after an injury has healed. Others suggest that this pain may be caused by signals getting confused within the brain. The normal sensation of pain and where it's located in the body is generally sent through nerve receptors that transmit information to the spine, which then sends it up to the brain. However, there's room for messages to get lost along the way from point A to point B, making it possible for the brain to interpret mental distress as physical pain. Some psychological factors that might cause physical pain include anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, depression, and stress.
What are the symptoms of psychogenic pain?
Headaches, muscle pains, back pain, and stomach pain, neck pain are some of the most common types of psychogenic pain. People with depression and anxiety may report psychogenic pain all over their bodies, even when there is no apparent physical cause. Irritability and inappropriate anger can impinge liver function, resulting in menstrual pain, headache, redness of the face and eyes, dizziness and dry mouth.
How Is Psychogenic Pain Treated
Unfortunately, psychogenic pain is harder to treat than pain caused as a direct result of injury, nerve damage or inflammation. Treatment often depends on the type of pain being experienced and if you have any history of psychological distress.
Treatment for psychogenic pain may include:
Psychotherapy
Antidepressants
Non-narcotic painkillers
Depending on the underlying psychological problem, some patients can find relief quite quickly, while others might take longer.
If you have concerns about how to explain your condition to others, discuss it with your counselor.
Ask a doctor for more information if you think that someone you care about may have psychogenic pain.
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