Psychosomatics as a scientific direction is a direction in medicine (psychosomatic medicine) and psychology that studies the influence of psychological factors on the occurrence and course of somatic diseases.
There are simple facts: after the battle, the wounds of victorious warriors heal faster and easier than the wounds of the vanquished.
Psychosomatics explores the problems of patients with somatic disorders, in the origin and course of which the psychological factor plays an important role. The scope of psychosomatics includes issues related to oncological and other serious diseases (diagnosis notification, psychological assistance, preparation for surgery, rehabilitation, etc.) and psychosomatic disorders (when experiencing acute and chronic mental trauma; problems include symptoms of coronary heart disease, peptic ulcer diseases, hypertension, neurodermatitis, psoriasis and bronchial asthma). Within the framework of psychosomatics, relationships between personality characteristics (constitutional features, character and personality traits, behavior styles, types of emotional conflicts) and one or another somatic disease have been and are being investigated.
The extreme wing of the supporters of psychosomatics believes that ALL human diseases arise due to psychological inconsistencies and disorders that occur in the soul, in the subconscious, in the thoughts of a person. Proponents of more moderate views believe that, of course, not all, but some diseases do arise in connection with the psychological characteristics (or problems) of a person.
At the same time, diseases that are more related to the state of mind of a person can be named: most often it is bronchial asthma, stomach and duodenal ulcers, essential arterial hypertension, coronary heart disease, headache.
In modern medicine, the term «psychosomatics» has acquired a largely negative connotation: doctors often call «psychosomatics» anything that refers to simulation, mental disorders, or outright fraud.
Somatics or psychosomatics?
If you have a cold, bronchial asthma, a stomach ulcer or a headache, a good doctor will recognize this as a somatic and most likely will treat it with medicine. A psychologist or a psychologically oriented doctor will suggest that this is all psychosomatics and suggest psychotherapy. What to believe? See →