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Managing psychosomatic symptoms
Author(s) -
Spencer Dan
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
the brown university child and adolescent behavior letter
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1556-7575
pISSN - 1058-1073
DOI - 10.1002/cbl.30142
Subject(s) - fainting , headaches , distress , conversion disorder , psychology , coping (psychology) , psychosomatics , psychiatry , clinical psychology , psychotherapist
Our bodies manifest emotions physically when we cannot effectively express them. This occurs frequently in youth, who have less developed verbal abilities and fewer coping strategies to manage distress. With psychosomatic symptoms, body parts are functional, but messages are transmitted incorrectly. Stomachaches and headaches are common complaints. More severe presentations are nonepileptic seizures and fainting spells. Limited symptoms can evolve into full DSM‐5 disorders, somatic symptom disorder, and conversion disorder, for example. Treatment can be seen as a way to repair communication pathways.