Pain Can Have a Psychological Component

After her third visit to a doctor within a month, concern for her was beginning to take its toll on her friends and relatives, not to mention her financial reserves, which would further be depleted if she missed any more work.

She, too, was beginning to have concerns as each physician stated that her pain could not be accounted for by any physical findings. Numerous, extensive medical tests revealed no explanation for her difficulties. She was beginning to wonder if she was losing her mind because the pain seemed real to her, both in terms of its location and its intensity.

Sleep was another problem. Waking frequently during the night made her feel tired all the time. She had no energy and lost interest in hobbies and social activities.

The pain had begun about eight months ago. The prescribed medication, taken several times a day, failed to provide much relief. Physicians suggested there might be a psychological component to her pain, but she refused to believe this. Instead, she sought another physician for more tests and consultation. They cautioned her about becoming dependant on her medication. Her tendency was to need more and more medication to achieve the same limited results.

She had always been a hard working individual, having started working part time as an adolescent and continuing until high school graduation. After that she worked long hours in various occupations rarely taking time off for vacations or even holidays.

In a similar example of this pain cycle problem, a man who began experiencing physical discomfort at work while lifting boxes, developed a pain pattern that seemed too intense and too frequent for the type of injury sustained.

There was an absence of pleasure in his life and he often felt depressed. In an attempt to escape from the problem, he often resorted to the excessive use of alcohol. His problems worsened as he became dependent on this substance.

Both of these individuals experienced lower self-esteem and felt they were less able to cope with everyday adjustments and pressures in life.

Many individuals like the woman and man just described suffer from what mental health professional call somatoform disorders. They experience physical symptoms that suggest physical disorders, but there are not demonstrable organic or physical findings. There is also an absence of known physiologic mechanisms to explain these physical symptoms.

A psychological basis for these symptoms often can be found, taking the form of unresolved conflicts or problems in the person’s life.

Somatoform disorder such as conversion disorders, hypochondriasis, and somatoform pain disorders often can be treated using psychological techniques by those trained to recognize and treat these problems. Unfortunately, the problem often goes undiagnosed and/or untreated for years before a mental health professional has an opportunity to assist the individual.

Any pain disorder can be debilitating and can reduce the quality of life for the sufferer. But somatoform disorders can be helped and the patient can resume a health pattern of living.

Harold H. LeCrone, Jr., Ph.D. Copyright © 1992