Alba-Indy t1_j5uohkr wrote
Psycho-somatic illness is surprisingly common and a very misunderstood condition even by medical staff.
[deleted] t1_j5v4w7m wrote
A lot of undiagnosed symptoms end up undiagnosed because so many symptoms apply to so many different diseases and issues and often the cost to diagnose only for the treatment to be over the counter meds, prescription drugs that can be given for even vague symptoms and not necessarily a diagnoses or lifestyle changes.
But there's def a lot of misunderstanding about psycho-somatic illnesses, including that this doesn't happen simply because "you're crazy" or "you're making this up". There's a huge misunderstanding of just how many physical symptoms anxiety can actually cause- these symptoms can actually be truly real and caused by the effects of increased levels of stress and anxiety on the body. It's part of why we need such a healthier readjustment of mindset when it comes to talking about anxiety because so many people learn to only feel shame when they're told it "must be anxiety".
Alba-Indy t1_j5vr0ec wrote
If you have an interest in this try a book by Dr Suzanne O’Sullivan “ It’s all in your head”. It gives an amazing insight into the subject. She also happens to be my dads doctor but that’s by the by.
[deleted] t1_j5vtfjd wrote
oh cool! I'll have to check that out. I've been on all sides of the coin- have gone through wild goose chases only to find out something was legit wrong, have gone through them to find out it was something simple(like when I finally found out I had like, almost no B12 or vitamin D levels and that's why I felt like utter dogshit...that was a time). I've also learned a LOT about anxiety and panic these past few years and now that I'm more aware of that in general, I'm often amazed at the physical symptoms it can cause. But it took a lot of reworking of how I've been taught about what having 'anxiety' means to be accepting of that.
Alba-Indy t1_j5vz0v3 wrote
Genuinely sorry to hear you’ve been through that. It all kind of feeds into itself and can become a self fulfilling prophecy in a way. Very hard to think straight and find a way round it when anxiety is through the roof. Watching my dad go through the shit he’s had to deal with ,and is still dealing with ,has been so difficult. (Wracked with pain, pseudo seizures, personality changes, anxious as hell,etc.etc.). “All in his head”. I’m a health care professional and had never heard of fn pseudo seizures! Thought he was just having everyone on. I knew they weren’t “real” having seen lots of actual seizures, but couldn’t get my head round the fact that to him they are genuine. Total head fuck. His doctor is amazing though and has been brilliant at explaining things to my dad and especially my mum who has to deal with his stuff every day. He has made great progress at times, then falls back. Sorry to go on but I think I needed to get some shit off my chest.🤪
[deleted] t1_j5w00ke wrote
oh wow!! It's really amazing what our mind can convince us of- either convince us and make us feel like something is happening or actually subconsciously causes that thing. The human body is honestly just bizarre.
FluffySharkBird t1_j5vn0ay wrote
Because when a doctor misdiagnoses a physical illness as "just anxiety" the patient knows they'll just be thrown away and all the money they JUST spent on the doctor will just be thrown away. The doctor just pushes the patient to a therapist and doesn't do anything to fix why someone feels sick and especially doesn't help people WHO DON'T FEEL ANXIOUS.
[deleted] t1_j5vstn5 wrote
Again, like said sometimes people really do have many real symptoms that could be 'something' but the cost of diagnosing to pinpoint is usually not realistic vs being able to treat the symptoms. Not saying I agree with it, but that's often why you're not going to get a life-changing diagnosis from a 15 minute GP visit.
For the many people who do have very real anxiety, often they are not conciously aware that what they're feeling is anxiety. Even if you've had anxiety for years you might not be. People especially do not understand how anxiety can cause very real physical symptoms, which are legit and can cause you pain and discomfort and could need to be treated. For example, if you have high blood pressure and heart issues caused by stress and anxiety those are very real problems that need to be treated, but there may not be a technical 'heart problem' to diagnose(which is a good thing! To your point it's really because of how much we(looking at you,America pay for health care that it almost feels more "worth it" to have something wrong than to be told we might have some symptoms and could legit not feel well but nothing dire is going on, because of the cost)
On a side note of unexplained symptoms, annual blood work really needs to be more affordable and promoted. Having just one value in your bloodwork off, something as simple as low B12 or iron or vitamin D(which is super common!), could cause a whole host of scary symptoms, but often it's not something a GP is going to casually suggest because blood work.
herbw t1_j5wpx54 wrote
Do you have a coupla good scientific medical references for the above? I see no medical terms in the above.
Cause it sounds like off the cuff.
[deleted] t1_j5wy3oz wrote
You've never heard that anxiety causes physical symptoms? Just type that into google and endless topics and references come up. It's not any kind of new-age BS. It's literally how anxiety works. To claim that is 'off the cuff' is actually hugely insulting to people with anxiety and very much feeds into why people feel defeated about something that is actually going on with them and they need help for. The symptoms aren't made up in your head- having symptoms caused by anxiety and panic attacks mean that something very real is going on inside your brain, activating stressors and fight or flight and causing physical effects. It's not a conscious act of simply making up problems.
even more about anxiety symptoms
even more about how it's not in your head because anxiety is real and causes real things
how anxiety and shock affect human cognition and perception
I could literally sit here all night pasting information.
Take a trip to your local ER and watch how many heart diagnostics they do every day over problems that turn out not related directly to the heart at all- but the patient was having very real symptoms that they physically present with and it shows up in their vitals and even on EKGs. It means you're having an anxiety or panic attack that feels just like a heart attack. Your brain actually gets confused and your body starts to react like you are having a physical heart problem. Doesn't mean you made it up, but it could mean you have a mind problem causing a heart problem, not a heart problem causing a heart problem. But that's not often how it's described to people, and they're left being made to feel like they just made up having a heart attack and went to the ER cause they got "too worried".
herbw t1_j5zsn32 wrote
Look, was a practicing MD for 40 yrs., psych and clinical Neuroscience, American Bd. of Psych/Neuro accredited. Yer preachin to the choir. Mental illnesses do that which is why they are illnesses. Bad outcomes.
Sure they don't eat right, fatty foods, get overweight and get heart disease? All the time. Smoking the same. People make lifestyle mistakes all the time which have bad health consequences. Nothin new there.
But Schumaker was clear about those. Delusions are the commonest human mental illnesses. and knowin that we can get rid of much of what you've written.
Sad thing is most people know they have problems but can't break out of them very easily.
That's why Whitehead's Breakout methods are so good." Almost anything, he averred, which breaks us out of our current ways of doing things, is a good thing.
https://jochesh00.wordpress.com/2019/06/06/the-break-outs-roots-of-growth-unlimited-creativities/
[deleted] t1_j608n4e wrote
Anxiety and depression are the most common (commonest is not a word, MD) mental illnesses in the world, not delusion disorder. Delusions can be a symptom of anxiety and depression, but this does not mean that delusion didn't cause a physical symptom. Again, in the very common case of anxiety and panic bringing people to the ER with heart problems, it's a mind problem causing a heart issue. If the mind problem is not treated, it can continue to physically affect the heart. This does not mean the heart problem was never real, but the mind was plagued with so much anxiety or panic that it causes a physical effect. Your mind is tricked, but that trick results in actual physical results that can be seen on EKGs and in your vitals. To claim that because a delusion must mean the patient is making up everything in their head and therefore even the physical symptoms are not real, is unhelpful and dangerous. It's especially unhelpful when it is not even properly explained to the patient how anxiety can cause these symptoms.
I'm sure, random redditor with questionable grammar who quotes a wordpress blog as evidence, I'm sure you used to be a doctor. However, doctor who insist they must be right because they are MDs, they are accredited, and therefore they are Smart and should be believed can really do more harm to their patients than good. In current practice, evidence based practice is used and built on, and we acknowledge that what we know about things like anxiety have greatly evolved in the last 10 years, let alone 40. Psychology is an ever-evolving field, and to effectively understand and treat patients, you must evolve with it.
Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments