Somatization: what is it and what symptoms does it produce?
Historically, many psychological theories treat the body and the mind as if they were two separate entities that only they associate in some respects to allow for the existence of fully functional, self-aware human beings. Interestingly, from these approaches the "material" body of people only has power over the mind in the aspect that it retains it in a specific place and, otherwise, it is the mind that sets goals, controls the movements of the body and, from time to time, looks for ways to transcend its "prison of flesh."
Today both the psychology as of course the psychiatry They tend more and more to obviate the existence of a "mind" independent of the material body, but curiously, and despite the scientific and technical advances of the last decades, there are certain mental disorders that seem to claim the existence of a disembodied psychological aspect, even though we know that this is impossible. An example of this is offered by a phenomenon called somatization.
Understanding the concept of somatization
The somatization it is a set of physical symptoms that produce discomfort and that cannot be explained medically from a physical examination. That is to say, where there is a somatization there are problems related to pain and discomfort for which a cause cannot be found from a medical examination.
Due to the difficulties in finding the origin of the problem, the attention of the diagnosis and the treatments usually falls on the Somatic Nervous System, that is, the part of the nervous system that carries sensory information and serves as a channel for the electrical impulses that activate the muscles.
What is the cause of somatizations?
Somatizations often make up a kind of "mixed bag" of diagnostic criteria, since many Sometimes they are used to create categories that include certain problems that are not very clear why they are produced. This should not be surprising, given that the range of symptoms under which a disorder that fits the definition of "somatization" may appear is very broad, and the origin of an ailment in the functioning of the nervous system always causes more problems than locating it in very specific parts of the body, such as certain areas of cellular tissue or organs.
In addition, manuals with criteria for diagnosing cases of somatizations almost always include the condition that these symptoms cannot be satisfactorily explained by another. disorder or illness.
Somatizations are, therefore, difficult to explain if you want to isolate in a laboratory the cause of all the physical and psychological complications that it produces, but it has been a long time since they began to be studied and documented. That is why it is normal that for a time they were associated with what in psychoanalysis was known as hysteria, and that even today it is believed in certain academic circles that somatizations are the consequence of certain psychological problems that struggle to get out of the Unconscious.
What people usually develop them?
By statistic, women are slightly more likely to somatize than men, and usually this occurs for the first time during youth, before the age of 30. In addition, correlations have been found between the fact of leading a life linked to severe stressors, which explains that the poorest and least educated population is especially susceptible to experiencing cases of somatization.
This last piece of information may serve to suggest that somatizations have a situational component, and that Therefore, to study them, it is necessary to understand not only the individual, but also their relationship with the environment.
How are they usually expressed?
The most common somatizations are related to sexual problems (such as pain during penetration or erectile dysfunction), ongoing headaches, and joint pain. However, as we have already seen, there are many symptoms that can fit into what we know as somatization.
And how is a case of somatization treated?
Everything related to the nervous system must be treated from an approach that covers both the aspects psychological and behavioral aspects of the person as physical phenomena directly approachable in the body of the patient. That is why it is worth medically monitoring the evolution of somatization while providing Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy.