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Somatic Symptom Disorder is a mental condition where you fixate on physical signs such as pain, fatigue, or breathing issues. The fixation can become very significant. It may lead to abnormal thoughts, feelings, or behaviour resulting in severe distress. The disorder can also affect the quality of life and cause disturbance to a healthy lifestyle.
Although the characteristics might not have any medical diagnosis or explanation, the severity of your illness might be convincing if you are suffering from SSD. Not finding a medical conclusion might cause stress because the physical pain can trick the mind into believing it is genuine. It often leads to different mental health issues like anxiety, as the concerns can grow excessively.
If you recognize these traits as your own or find yourself in a similar situation, you might consider talking to a mental health care professional. Understanding this disorder with the help of a counsellor may help you overcome it. You might even consider online therapy sessions for this condition.
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About Somatic symptom disorder therapy
About Somatic symptom disorder therapy
Therapists / Counselors for Somatic symptom disorder therapy
FAQs
Mental Health Care for SSD
Major Causes
Common Signs
Risk Factors
How to Deal With Your Symptoms
Get Treatment From a Licensed Therapist Who’s Right For You
Schedule a Virtual Psychotherapy Appointment with a Counsellor Today
Somatic Symptom Disorder is a mental condition where you fixate on physical signs such as pain, fatigue, or breathing issues. The fixation can become very significant. It may lead to abnormal thoughts, feelings, or behaviour resulting in severe distress. The disorder can also affect the quality of life and cause disturbance to a healthy lifestyle.
Although the characteristics might not have any medical diagnosis or explanation, the severity of your illness might be convincing if you are suffering from SSD. Not finding a medical conclusion might cause stress because the physical pain can trick the mind into believing it is genuine. It often leads to different mental health issues like anxiety, as the concerns can grow excessively.
If you recognize these traits as your own or find yourself in a similar situation, you might consider talking to a mental health care professional. Understanding this disorder with the help of a counsellor may help you overcome it. You might even consider online therapy sessions for this condition.
FAQs
This ailment can affect children, teenagers, and adults alike. In adults, the disorder typically appears by the age of 30. SSD is more likely to affect people assigned as females at birth (AFAB) when compared to people assigned as males at birth (AMAB).
Somatization disorder is due to the person's response to symptoms. Signs can last up to months or more, depending on the person.
Before diagnosis, it must be checked whether you have extremely consistent concerns about your symptoms. Your anxiety level concerns your health. And having high levels means that you are concentrating on your traits for a prolonged time.
Although these disorders have no known cure, they are controllable. Treatment for symptoms focuses on teaching the person to deal with them.
SSD was also known as hypochondria. It affects the symptoms out of proportion, causing great distress.
Mental Health Care for SSD
There is no physical diagnosis for SSD. But with the help of a trusted mental health professional, you can manage the condition. The management of this disorder consists of guided sessions with therapists. These focus on controlling your symptoms.
The professionals can offer you kind support, encourage you, and keep an eye on your physical well-being. By close monitoring, you may even avoid unnecessary ministrations and tests. Therapy and medication under careful administration can help you with controlling the signs.
Medication: Sometimes, a certain level of discomfort is present, leading to stress, depression, and/or anxiety. Your doctor might prescribe you drugs such as anti-depressants. They may even offer medication for anxiety. They can help ease the signs, such as pain and fatigue, along with elevating your mood.
Therapy:
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Psychotherapy: Psychotherapy or talk therapy refers to counselling through talking and establishing a trusting relationship with your therapist through regular counselling sessions. As the name suggests, talking is the key here. Having a conversation with your therapist can help you better understand your indicators. They may help you find the best ways to cope with pain and other distress.
CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy), specifically, focuses on the correlation among your thoughts, emotions, physical movement, and response if you experience any discomfort. You are prone to your thoughts creating a negative bias in which you can feel entrapped. CBT helps you by changing your overview. It gives you the authority to improve physical signs and follow a quality life. Let's take a look at how CBT can help you:
- It can help you in assessing your feelings toward your physical markers.
- You get a better outlook on your overall health.
- You can navigate your stress and anxiety triggers.
- It provides liberty from concerns related to your physical characteristics.
- You can incorporate activities that help you cope with physical pain.
- You can function in your social and personal life.
- Family Therapy: Family Therapy involves sessions with your family under your counsellor's guidance. It can help you identify external triggers for stress, anger, grief, or discomfort, affecting somatization symptoms. It might also be a chance that your traits result from genetic influence or the general family environment.
Major Causes
Studies have yet to prove a definite cause of this condition. But several factors can contribute to the gradual growth of the disorder. Different influences affect the symptoms. It can be genetic or biological factors. Psychology can also have a significant effect on your mental health. Apart from it, here are some of the major causes:
- Low physical pain tolerance is linked to genetics.
- Trauma developed from childhood abuse. It can be physical, sexual, or emotional trauma that can resurface anxiety or depression.
- Low cognitive ability toward emotion regulation and poor emotional development. It can result from the lack of emotional support during childhood.
- Disproportionate anxiety toward any physical ailment.
- Consequential negative traits result from family influence, either genetic or influential.
- Conditioned learning through pain triggers. This refers to the attention or reward reaction gained through pain. This may become a mental disability if not paid close attention to.
- History of substance abuse can also have an effect.
Common Signs
Although common signs are often recognized as pain, it isn't only limited to that. Here are more signs that you can look out for.
- Fatigue: Feeling more exhausted than usual and not being able to recover from it.
- Unfamiliar sensations: A certain form of sensation that sets you off, rooting from delusion.
- Shortness of breath: Finding yourself out of breath or having trouble breathing without any prior medical condition.
- Inconsistent diagnosis: Not having a medical diagnosis for any of the signs.
- Heightened symptoms: Identifying an uncertain increment related to a medical illness without any conclusive diagnosis, specifically more severe than they should be.
- Increased stress: Consistent stress over the possibility of illness.
- Delusion about a trivial occurrence: Getting excessively concerned over a common incidence, such as a headache or stuffy nose.
- Paranoia against treatment: Being doubtful about the medical care you are receiving and being convinced that they don't work.
- Paranoia toward body harm: Not participating in physical activity over the worry that it might severely harm you.
- Obsessiveness over self-appearance: Being overly cautious about your appearance and constantly checking for any physical evidence of ailments.
Characteristics like these may appear in a non-concerning sense. But, if they get out of hand, it is always a good idea to seek help. It might even make it difficult to distinguish between a real medical condition or SSD on your own. Stress can get into the way of your day-to-day functional life.
Risk Factors
Constantly worrying about your health and not finding any conclusive diagnosis can gravely affect your daily life. Thus, finding a treatment is important, as worrying may further risk your mental and physical well-being.
SSD might even take a toll on your relationships. It can make it challenging to have a clear conversation with your loved ones. You might have constant doubt that they do not believe you, and they may feel like you aren’t being truthful. This can make it difficult to sustain healthy relationships.
This ailment may even put you at risk of developing physical illnesses. Also, It makes you more susceptible to developing several mental disorders and might even increase the risk of suicidal thoughts, which are generally rooted in prolonged depressive episodes.
This condition has serious effects on your socio-economic growth as well. Getting hindered in your daily life might make your life difficult. It affects your ability to maintain a significant level of education or a job. It also directly affects your financial well-being when you go through several health care sessions and tests.
How to Deal With Your Symptoms
Once you recognize your behaviour and belief pattern, you might look into coping mechanisms to help you with the symptoms. Even if there is no definitive cure for the disorder, you can take some preventive measures.
If you have some clarity about your signs, you may seek a mental health care provider. It is crucial to develop a trusting relationship with your therapist, get consistent counselling sessions, and build a supportive routine. Try to recognize your stress triggers and their effect on your well-being, and learn how to manage them efficiently.
You might ask people who are close to you for their support. Your family might have a significant influence on your daily life. Talking to them about your signs and seeking help might be beneficial. You can also consider your close friends or partner to help you without judgment. If needed, ask them to join you in your therapy sessions.
And lastly, stick to your treatment plans. Invest the time and energy to heal your condition with your therapist. Chances of relapsing in SSD are possible. Hence, why you may want to consider paying close attention to your characteristics and get treated immediately.
Get Treatment From a Licensed Therapist Who’s Right For You
If you have similar markers and are considering seeking advice, you should consider getting treatment from a licensed therapist. SSD isn't something that you might want to turn a blind eye to. Some tools and treatments can help you. Finding a good specialist who satisfies your needs can tremendously help you with your issues. You might notice significant changes in your everyday life.
Therapists can assist you in finding a coping exercise that works for you. They can offer you support and even teach you how to navigate through your unique individual problems. When you feel the need to seek help, you can always find a therapist that is right for you.
Schedule a Virtual Psychotherapy Appointment with a Counsellor Today
At DocVita, you can find the right therapist to help you with your concerns. You don't need to put any extra worry over finding the right counsellor. DocVita lets you browse through multiple professionals, making it easy to book a virtual psychotherapy appointment.
We have kind and compassionate providers who can listen and empathize with your condition. Book an appointment with an experienced DocVita therapist today!