Some people struggle with somatoform disorders unknowingly. Life is meant to be lived fully and enjoyed, but it starts to dim. Sometimes that can bring about feelings that the odds are simply against you. But life wouldn’t be life without a bump or two in the road. When those bumps add up, it may be a sign to seek help outside of yourself to clear them.
Financial burdens or bad hair days can feel like big roadblocks when they are the few on the road. However, when the biggest issues you face stem from or affect your mind, all other ordeals seem less intense. Without the ability to focus and have peace of mind, it is easy to struggle with maintaining all other areas of your life.
Mental health issues can be hard to manage and live with. This is why different treatment options exist to aid those needing help in this area of life. When mental health symptoms become so burdensome that they begin to play out physically, the mental and physical illnesses can merge, allowing somatoform disorder to set in.
The Root of Somatoform Disorders: What Is Somatization?
Have you ever experienced physical pain or discomfort without a known cause or diagnosis? Sometimes people experience this and have no clue what they are experiencing or why. This can be worrisome and cause more frequent mental stress, which then adds to the physical symptoms with the absence of relevant medical diagnoses or clarity. This, in essence, is somatization.
What Are Somatoform Disorders?
Somatoform disorders occur when there is a constant fear and assumption of a greater illness than what may be present—for instance, feeling that a headache is a brain tumor instead of just a headache. This often leads to constant contact with a physician and doctor’s visits.
Countless visits to the doctor lead to no findings, but still, one may believe there is something seriously wrong with them. A diagnosis for a somatoform disorder is given when there are multiple self-diagnosed health issues without medical findings for at least two years.
Somatoform Disorders and Somatic Symptom Disorder
Somatic symptom disorders (SSD) can appear when a person experiences mental distress about physical discomfort and symptoms. There is such a huge focus on the physical pain that it causes them to behave and respond constantly to those feelings. The mind and body seem to work in a dysfunctional tandem as intrusive thoughts encourage the distress of the physical symptoms. This disrupts one’s daily life, affecting behavior and mood.
Living With Somatoform Disorders
Somatoform disorders are more common than people may realize. It is essential to know and be in tune with your thoughts and feelings. Sometimes because people may think or feel that something could be going on with them mentally, they are not open. Being open to the unknown can help you to catch symptoms before they worsen.
Feeling like something is not quite right or like something is wrong, but you are not sure what can be scary. It can be even more off-putting if professionals also struggle to find the root cause of this discomfort. Living with a somatoform disorder can rob you of the joys of life and numb you to things going wrong.
Mental health disorders can intrude on life as you know it. However, when that is coupled and intensified with physical pain, the intrusion grows. Adding the fact that the pain is inexplicable or being convinced that it’s much bigger than what it is can feel like overkill. This leaves you in a constant state of fear, worry, and discomfort. No one should live that way.
Treatment for Somatoform Disorders
Thankfully no one has to live that way. There are options for treatment for those suffering from disorders of somatization. At SoCal Mental Health, we can help you navigate and release those thoughts of distress. This can help disassociate the pain and settle your mind.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a frequent treatment we offer for treating and healing somatic symptom disorders. This form of therapy focuses on behavioral habits and can help tie the link between the mental and physical that is exacerbating your issues.
The benefits of cognitive-behavioral therapy play a huge role in helping individuals heal from these disorders. It helps you identify the correlation between what is thought and felt. Your mind and body have a close relationship, and one constantly affects the other. CBT helps you keep the necessary connection but separate thoughts from emotions and actions.
With treatment, one experiencing somatoform disorder can overcome it. Peace of mind can be found on the other side of sifting through the pain of your mind that has translated to your body. If this sounds like something you may be experiencing, know that you can live a life free of it. You can have peace, joy, and comfort. Essentially, we can help you create and maintain the life you want.
Suffering from a somatoform disorder can be extremely taxing. Not knowing what is wrong with you or if there is something wrong is draining. Countless doctor’s visits and no answer to what is going on with your body can have a negative effect on your daily life. However, you do not have to continue to suffer in silence. Many people have found hope in treatment for this type of disorder and were able to heal from the trauma it caused; you can too. SoCal Mental Health provides treatment options to help you treat this and bring peace back into your life. For resources and treatment options, call us at (888) 312-0219.
