6 ms·

Sorry, but... Fuck This. I went to my Dr last week because of acute and chronic pain in the testes, ensuing insomnia, etc. He pulled the psychosomatic card and

by eth0up 10y ago

Sorry, but... Fuck This. I went to my Dr last week because of acute and chronic pain in the testes, ensuing insomnia, etc. He pulled the psychosomatic card and suggested I was manifesting my own problems. I politely argued to no avail, then politely and permanently dismissed him as my doctor. Two days later I visited the ER, where it was confirmed that it certainly wasn't psychosomatic. It may be difficult to understand, but someone who is truly suffering and seeks help only to be told "it's in your head", can very well be the victim of an external psychological disorder, not anxiety. For how many years were innocent and otherwise perfectly healthy people persecuted, neglected, or ridiculed when they complained of stomach pain, i.e. an ulcer? Until Barry Marshall[1] came along and deliberately infected himself with H Pylori to successfully prove the actual cause of most ulcers, probably far too long. I advise that when pointing this self-righteous etiological finger at others, do so cautiously. I know I didn't quit distance running, my job, and adopt a life of sleeplessness to secretly spite myself and binge on artificial misery. - Irritated patient 1. http://discovermagazine.com/2010/mar/07-dr-drank-broth-gave-ulcer-solved-medical-mystery http://discovermagazine.com/2010/mar/07-dr-drank-broth-gave-...

arnoooooo 10y ago
Not to mention that when conditions are said to be brought on by stress, there is a chicken and egg issue : being in pain causes stress.
m_fayer 10y ago
Indeed. What if your body harbors some dormant weakness that originates in some old injury or some unfortunate genes? And so what if it was your divorce that was the last straw, and now that weakness has manifested and is now a Real Problem? Ok doctor, I also wish I wasn't getting divorced and no shit that was stressful, but the resulting digestive/auto-immune/neurological condition that it triggered is real, and that's why I'm here. I sometimes have the feeling that if doctors can in some plausible way blame any non-simple affliction on stress, that's their ticket to victim blame, recommend yoga, and call it a day.
nickcoury 10y ago
I think it's unfortunate when people ignore the possibility of psychosomatic symptoms, but even more dangerous when they attribute every issue to it. It should be a tool in the toolbox, a possible explanation/approach to ailments that are sometimes simple and singular but often times complex and multi-faceted. My N=1: I have chronic back issues. At best it's general tightness and fatigue, but can also be sore and painful. In particular I had two incidents in 2011 (in a matter of seconds) and 2012 (over a couple days) where my back spasmed and left me crippled, unable to move without knife-stabbing pains and unable walk down hallways without holding onto a wall. Both lasted almost a month, and were followed by months of heightened soreness. I was 23/24 at the time, with no preexisting health issues. I'm a regular runner and in great health otherwise. I tried to fix this with deep tissue massage and core/strengthening regimens, and largely those helped keep the pain levels down but really only halved the symptoms at best. A friend had been recommending Sarno's 'A Divided Mind' which is all about the psychosomatic diagnosis since the first incident, but I had dismissed it. Finally in 2013, as I felt a new round of the spasms coming, I gave it a shot. Lo and behold, it became the single most effective tool I've found to manage my back issues. I identified that each spasm came with a major emotionally loaded event. In 2011 it was unrealistic pressure to compete at a big running race I had been training for. In 2012 it was participating in the search and rescue for a dear friend who was lost (and died) in the wilderness. In 2013 it was a nasty falling out with my best friend (and brother) at the time. I don't believe the mechanisms are fully understood, and I think Sarno in particular does too much hand waving. But using his approach was the first time in years that I had no discernible back issues. I liken it to getting butterflies in your stomach. Your mind and emotions can trigger physiological changes to blood vessels, nerves, muscles, etc. that in turn can cause real issues. I also don't believe it's the only factor. I started an office job in 2015, and back issues have come back that I attribute 100% to the office lifestyle. I've found no relief with the psychosomatic approach, but do better with a sit/stand desk, breaks, and daily exercise. Overall, I think a ton of people could benefit from approaching health issues from a psychosomatic perspective as one of many possible diagnoses. I also agree there are so many other possibilities that assuming it is always in your head is ignorant, neglectful, and downright dangerous.
- eth0up 10y ago
realitycheck16 10y ago
That's because most doctors are pill-pushers and he couldn't prescribe you something that would have given him a nice kickback.
Broken_Hippo 10y ago
I think the balance lies in between. I find it insulting to hear that it is all in my head because the pain is real: It is even more insulting to tell me this without doing any sort of testing whatsoever. If, after medical testing, they still don't know what it is - or if my ailment is often stress related - I don't mind trying different things, including mental health options - to take care of it all. After all, this is why a competent mental health professional will do medical testing and MRI's and other such things so that they can rule out a physical reason for a psychological problem. Depression and anxiety can be caused by hormones, after all, and psychosis of different sorts can be a tumor.
- eeZah7Ux 10y ago
  > I find it insulting to hear that it is all in my head because the pain is real Many people dismiss mental health issues as less serious or outright illusory, hence "It's all in your head". Instead of blaming psychosomatic dysfunctions for existing, we should question why mental health issues are seen with shame and called "insulting"
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
agumonkey 10y ago
I had to deal with this last year. I had some traumatic times, scared shitless to die of heart failure, went to see doctors "you have nothing". One even dared me to reproduce my problem on sight. I was speechless (too tired to rage but ..). They have a point though, mental state can disrupt organ coordinations (heart rate, artery dilatation, liver hormones). Read about the sympathetic nervous system.[1] They put me under antidepressant and I felt a very subtle improvement in my case. I guess in yours it's extremely far fetched. Most of them only do simple tests (blood sample, cholesterol) and tell you to go home if you're in range. For anything a bit twisted you're on your own. [1] in my case I was so frail, I could feel the difference when trying to meditate to calm anxiety. 3 minutes would show tangible signs (warm blood rushing to my finger and toe tips, instead of blue and cold limbs).
nickff 10y ago
In my experience, general practitioners will diagnose you as having the most common illness which exhibits symptoms remotely similar to yours; if you have anything except diabetes/acid reflux/high blood pressure, they will never find/investigate it. WebMD is a far more reliable diagnostic tool than the average GP (for every non-hypochondriac who can use the internet).

by eth0up 10y ago

arnoooooo 10y ago

Not to mention that when conditions are said to be brought on by stress, there is a chicken and egg issue : being in pain causes stress.

m_fayer 10y ago

Indeed. What if your body harbors some dormant weakness that originates in some old injury or some unfortunate genes? And so what if it was your divorce that was the last straw, and now that weakness has manifested and is now a Real Problem? Ok doctor, I also wish I wasn't getting divorced and no shit that was stressful, but the resulting digestive/auto-immune/neurological condition that it triggered is real, and that's why I'm here. I sometimes have the feeling that if doctors can in some plausible way blame any non-simple affliction on stress, that's their ticket to victim blame, recommend yoga, and call it a day.

nickcoury 10y ago

I think it's unfortunate when people ignore the possibility of psychosomatic symptoms, but even more dangerous when they attribute every issue to it. It should be a tool in the toolbox, a possible explanation/approach to ailments that are sometimes simple and singular but often times complex and multi-faceted. My N=1: I have chronic back issues. At best it's general tightness and fatigue, but can also be sore and painful. In particular I had two incidents in 2011 (in a matter of seconds) and 2012 (over a couple days) where my back spasmed and left me crippled, unable to move without knife-stabbing pains and unable walk down hallways without holding onto a wall. Both lasted almost a month, and were followed by months of heightened soreness. I was 23/24 at the time, with no preexisting health issues. I'm a regular runner and in great health otherwise. I tried to fix this with deep tissue massage and core/strengthening regimens, and largely those helped keep the pain levels down but really only halved the symptoms at best. A friend had been recommending Sarno's 'A Divided Mind' which is all about the psychosomatic diagnosis since the first incident, but I had dismissed it. Finally in 2013, as I felt a new round of the spasms coming, I gave it a shot. Lo and behold, it became the single most effective tool I've found to manage my back issues. I identified that each spasm came with a major emotionally loaded event. In 2011 it was unrealistic pressure to compete at a big running race I had been training for. In 2012 it was participating in the search and rescue for a dear friend who was lost (and died) in the wilderness. In 2013 it was a nasty falling out with my best friend (and brother) at the time. I don't believe the mechanisms are fully understood, and I think Sarno in particular does too much hand waving. But using his approach was the first time in years that I had no discernible back issues. I liken it to getting butterflies in your stomach. Your mind and emotions can trigger physiological changes to blood vessels, nerves, muscles, etc. that in turn can cause real issues. I also don't believe it's the only factor. I started an office job in 2015, and back issues have come back that I attribute 100% to the office lifestyle. I've found no relief with the psychosomatic approach, but do better with a sit/stand desk, breaks, and daily exercise. Overall, I think a ton of people could benefit from approaching health issues from a psychosomatic perspective as one of many possible diagnoses. I also agree there are so many other possibilities that assuming it is always in your head is ignorant, neglectful, and downright dangerous.

eth0up 10y ago

realitycheck16 10y ago

That's because most doctors are pill-pushers and he couldn't prescribe you something that would have given him a nice kickback.

Broken_Hippo 10y ago

I think the balance lies in between. I find it insulting to hear that it is all in my head because the pain is real: It is even more insulting to tell me this without doing any sort of testing whatsoever. If, after medical testing, they still don't know what it is - or if my ailment is often stress related - I don't mind trying different things, including mental health options - to take care of it all. After all, this is why a competent mental health professional will do medical testing and MRI's and other such things so that they can rule out a physical reason for a psychological problem. Depression and anxiety can be caused by hormones, after all, and psychosis of different sorts can be a tumor.

eeZah7Ux 10y ago
> I find it insulting to hear that it is all in my head because the pain is real Many people dismiss mental health issues as less serious or outright illusory, hence "It's all in your head". Instead of blaming psychosomatic dysfunctions for existing, we should question why mental health issues are seen with shame and called "insulting"

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]

agumonkey 10y ago

I had to deal with this last year. I had some traumatic times, scared shitless to die of heart failure, went to see doctors "you have nothing". One even dared me to reproduce my problem on sight. I was speechless (too tired to rage but ..). They have a point though, mental state can disrupt organ coordinations (heart rate, artery dilatation, liver hormones). Read about the sympathetic nervous system.[1] They put me under antidepressant and I felt a very subtle improvement in my case. I guess in yours it's extremely far fetched. Most of them only do simple tests (blood sample, cholesterol) and tell you to go home if you're in range. For anything a bit twisted you're on your own. [1] in my case I was so frail, I could feel the difference when trying to meditate to calm anxiety. 3 minutes would show tangible signs (warm blood rushing to my finger and toe tips, instead of blue and cold limbs).

nickff 10y ago

In my experience, general practitioners will diagnose you as having the most common illness which exhibits symptoms remotely similar to yours; if you have anything except diabetes/acid reflux/high blood pressure, they will never find/investigate it. WebMD is a far more reliable diagnostic tool than the average GP (for every non-hypochondriac who can use the internet).