9 diseases that can be caused by your mind

Cuts, bumps, and tissue tears are not the only known causes of symptoms and diseases. Psychosomatic or somatoform disorders, for example, are forms of expression of alterations that are psychological in nature, whether conscious or unconscious.

That is why, in some cases, they appear disorders and pictures of illness caused by the mind. This means that there are certain symptoms and signs of discomfort that do not appear due to related elements of the environment. that enter our body and harm us (blows, cuts, infections, etc.) or with diseases of purely origin genetic.

Symptoms and disorders caused by the mind

For centuries it has been hypothesized about the existence of symptoms and diseases caused by the mind, although the explanations that have been given have been deferred. For example, for Jean-Martin Charcot, mentor of Sigmund Freud, in these cases there was an organic alteration producing these changes, while for Freud, in some cases, they were the own emotions caused by the repression of ideas and beliefs that produced the disease (thus explained, for example, the cases of 

hysteria or conversion disorder).

In any case, when we talk about diseases produced by the mind, we do not mean that our body works well but the mind does not, because that would be falling into the dualism, a non-scientific philosophy.

The mind is the product of the body's activityIt is not something separate from this, and therefore the alterations with a psychological origin are a specific type of disorder that, like all the others, has an organic and not a "spiritual" cause. Specifically, what originates them is in the brain, although it is not known exactly what parts of the brain are involved.

Physical disorders of psychological origin

But... What are these diseases caused by psychological disorders? These are some of them.

1. Migraine

Migraine, which is a very severe and recurring type of headache, can be caused by stress and the changes it produces in the distribution of blood through the brain.

However, although migraine may have a psychological origin, it does not mean that this disease can be cured by thinking in a certain way or exposing yourself more to certain kinds of emotions. Psychologically, you can only intervene to better adapt to your symptoms.

2. Gastrointestinal disorders

The intestines are one of the most sensitive parts of the body to hormonal changes. That is why sudden changes in the amount in which some of these substances are secreted by order of the brain can cause the gut to start working in strange ways that generate discomfort.

3. Shy bladder syndrome

Some people are unable to urinate if they feel observed. This fact may lead them to think that they have some kind of problem with their bladder or renal system, but in reality the cause of this disorder is purely psychological. Specifically, it is due to a type of social phobia.

• To know more about this disorder, you can visit this article: "Paruresis: shy bladder syndrome".

4. Pain disorder

In cases of pain disorder, the person complains of intense pain that localizes to a specific area of ​​the body without it having injuries or present problems in the way you function.

This disorder is believed to be of psychological causes and has to do with suggestion (the propensity to firmly believe in an idea until it becomes real) and problems with anxiety associated with it.

5. Heart attack

Heart attacks are vascular diseases closely linked to unhealthy habits related to exercise and diet in general. However, stress levels also play a very important role in the chances of suffering one. Ultimately, if anxiety begins to be a constant part of our life, the system circulatory suffers because it tries to keep many parts of the body in a maximum state of activation.

This state of activation, when it is very intense or becomes chronic, forces the walls of the blood vessels and the heart, causing small tears to appear or to stretch and narrow. In turn, this increases the chances of suffering a vascular problem, and the consequences that this can have are very serious: even if death does not occur, sequelae may remain that lead to other diseases.

6. Stress alopecia

In many cases, alopecia is a consequence of genetic inheritance, but in others it may be due to specific periods in which the stress It is very high. In these cases, part of the hair falls out evenly and quickly for a few days. Once the time when this anxiety peak has passed, the hair grows back normally, although it can sometimes take several months.

The psychosomatic origin of this alteration has to do with the secretion of hormones and the blood supply that reaches the scalp. When we are stressed, stress hormones make the body begin to prioritize certain aspects and neglect others to make the body never lose a certain balance.

7. Psychogenic cough

Some people have such severe and frequent coughing spells that their quality of life suffers. Normally this problem has a clear cause in some alteration of the respiratory system, but in In other cases, it is not possible to determine an origin that is not based, basically, on stress and suggestion. In these cases, the cough acts as a kind of recurring tic.

These kinds of tics are typical in disturbances produced by anxiety, since they are a way to release that energy that overflows us when we think about what causes stress.

8. Psychogenic itching

People who experience this disorder caused by the mind notice how an area of ​​the body itches, which leads them to scratch uncontrollably. In addition, this itching does not have biological causes attributable to the affected area, which is healthy. Suggestion plays a very important role in this somatoform disorder.

9. Acne

The acne it is basically based on hormonal production cycles, and this is something that depends almost entirely on what happens in our brain. That is why stressful events are capable of producing or significantly worsening cases of acne, very typical in adolescence and youth.

However, it must be borne in mind that mental states are not the only factor that favors the appearance of acne. Genetics, and in particular skin type, also play a role in this.