Sick But Not Sick, Recognize Somatoform Disorders !

What is somatoform disorder ?

Somatization disorders are a group of psychiatric disorders whose forms can be in the form of various physical symptoms felt by the patient, but no medical cause is found. ;Somatoform disorders can cause a person to complain of one or more symptoms of the disease, including pain, abdominal pain, neurological problems, breathing problems, sexual problems, and others. Symptoms of somatoform disorders may have no known physical cause or be related to other general medical conditions.

People with somatization disorder do not fake their symptoms. The pain they experience is real, regardless of whether or not a physical cause is found. In addition, the symptoms of pain that arise due to this disorder can cause severe emotional stress and affect their daily activities.

What are the signs and symptoms of somatoform disorders ?

The common symptoms of somatization disorder are:

• particular sensations, such as pain or shortness of breath, or general symptoms such as fatigue or weakness.
• Usually, this condition is not linked to a medical cause or associated with a medical condition, such as cancer or heart disease, but is more significant than expected.
• One or more symptoms, or a variety of symptoms, may occur for approximately 6 months.
• Mild, moderate, or severe symptoms will depend on your condition.
• unresponsive to medical treatment or overly sensitive to medication side effects.
• has a more severe disorder than usual due to a medical condition.

Most somatization sufferers have high anxiety about their complaints. They often do "doctor shopping" to seek responses that justify their perception that they are sick. In fact, often asking doctors to carry out unnecessary examinations to strengthen normal uh is a sign of serious physical illness.

What causes somatoform disorders?

There are several things that cause somatization disorder in a person, including:

• Genetic and biological factors, such as increased sensitivity to pain
• family influences, genetic or environmental, or both.
• Negative perceptions can affect how you perceive illness and body symptoms.
• Ignoring psychological complaints or stressors causes physical symptoms to be the main focus compared to emotional issues.
• Learned behavior. For example, “enjoying” the attention or other benefits that come with having a certain disease; or “sick behavior” in response to symptoms, or avoidance of excessive activity, which can increase the level of disability.

Treatment of somatization disorder 

Somatoform disorders are treated by psychiatrists, but patients often refuse to be treated. There are two main treatments that need to be done on patients, namely:

    a. Psychotherapy, which can include:

1. Group psychotherapy, ;is used to get social support strengthened and social skills learnt.
2. Individual psychotherapy, behavioral and cognitive therapy, and hypnotherapy tailored to the patient's needs

    b. Psychopharmaceutical

only to relieve symptoms of anxiety or depression, which may be an additional diagnosis. However, if somatization is situational (appears only when there is stress), then the patient is sufficient to receive psychotherapy to strengthen coping with stressors.

To be able to significantly reduce the symptoms of somatoform disorders, it is needed. Therefore, regular treatment and family support are very important. Healthy Greetings!