psychosomatic

psychosomatic /psy·cho·so·mat·ic/ (-sah-mat´ik) pertaining to the mind-body relationship; having bodily symptoms of psychic, emotional, or mental origin.

---

psy·cho·so·mat·ic (sk-s-mtk)

adj.

1. Of or relating to a disorder having physical symptoms but originating from mental or emotional causes.

2. Relating to or concerned with the influence of the mind on the body, especially with respect to disease.

---

Psychosomatic

Referring to physical symptoms that are caused or significantly influenced by emotional factors. Some doctors regard couvade syndrome as a psychosomatic condition.

Mentioned in: Couvade Syndrome

---

psychosomatic

[sī′kōsəmat′ik]

Etymology: Gk, psyche + soma, body

1 pertaining to psychosomatic medicine.

2 relating to, characterized by, or resulting from the interaction of the mind or psyche and the body.

3 relating to the expression of an emotional conflict through physical symptoms. See also conversion disorder, psychogenic, psychophysiologic disorder.

---

psychosomatic [si″ko-so-mat´ik]

pertaining to the interrelations of mind and body; having bodily symptoms of psychic, emotional, or mental origin.

psychosomatic disorder (psychosomatic illness) a disorder in which the physical symptoms are caused or exacerbated by psychological factors, such as migraine headache, lower back pain, or irritable bowel syndrome; see also somatoform disorders. It is now recognized that emotional factors play a role in the development of nearly all organic illnesses and that the physical symptoms experienced by the patient are related to many interdependent factors, including psychological and cultural. The physical manifestations of an illness, unless caused by mechanical trauma, cannot be divorced from a person's emotional life. Each person responds in a unique way to stress; emotions affect one's sensitivity to trauma and to irritating elements in the environment, susceptibility to infection, and ability to recover from the effects of illness. Physical conditions to which psychological factors are shown to be contributory are currently classified as psychological factors affecting medical condition. Any physical condition can be so classified, but the most frequently included are asthma, peptic ulcer, bowel disorders, cardiovascular disorders, arthritis, allergy, headache, and certain endocrine disorders. In recent years there has been some success in using behavior therapy to treat these and other illnesses whose symptoms are related to the autonomic nervous system. Clients are taught new ways of coping with stress and new patterns of behavior. Among the techniques used are biofeedback, relaxation training, classical conditioning, and operant conditioning using social and material reinforcement.

---

psychosomatic (sīkōsōmat´ik),

adj 1. pertaining to the expression of an emotional conflict through physical symptoms.
adj 2. pertaining to the mind-body relationship; having bodily symptoms of a psychic, emotional, or mental origin. See also disease, psychosomatic.

psychosomatic factors,

n See factor, psychosomatic.

psychosomatic, medicine,

n the branch of medicine concerned with the interrelationships between mental and emotional reactions and somatic processes, in particular the manner in which intrapsychic conflicts influence physical symptoms.

---

psychosomatic

pertaining to the interrelations of mind and body; having bodily clinical signs of psychic, emotional or mental origin.

---

psychosomatic disease

there are no identified psychosomatic diseases in animals. Abomasal ulcer in bulls in artificial insemination centers, esophagogastric ulcer in pigs, ulcerative colitis in dogs are possible candidates for the classification. The suggested mechanism for the development of disease in this way is that the cerebral cortex (via the psyche) overrides the normal, adaptive, feedback mechanisms by which the pituitary gland regulates the secretion of corticosteroids in response to stress of any sort. For this reason the adrenal cortex is overstimulated, develops hyperadrenocorticism first and then exhaustion.