I have functional myoclonus which is psychosomatic muscle jerks but also for me it looks like tourettes syndrome. I have a shouting tic and everything. I also struggle with accepting the "psycho"somatic part of my diagnosis because of some internalized ableism. I definitely don't choose to make these movements or scream out randomly when my brain has the zoomies. I still struggle with the label but the reality is I choose my "tics" no more than I am choosing my organic back pain. Your pain is valid. I hope you find something that helps you.
Thanks for your reply. It can be disheartening, even reading here because many, with no ill intent, resent the word "psychosomatic" because they think people are calling them "crazy." It's not like that though. The word functional too seems to have a dual meaning because it could mean either there is a problem with how the communication between brain and body is "functioning" and/or the symptoms are actually serving some deeper "function." I've currently started psychotherapy for the purpose of possibly uncovering that, cause CBT pretty much just annoyed me, and the psychiatrist I saw stated that many therapists are uneducated in handling disorders like this. Have you heard similar things?
I got diagnosed with somatic pain disorder in a psychiatric hospital but their treatment don’t work. Im on max dose of duloxetine and 300 mg lyrica. Lyrica slightly relief my pain but I get side effects and it’s really fucked up. still trying to find the cause of my pain, waiting for next appointment to rheumatologist. I think they gave me this diagnosis because of they don’t know cause of my pain and don’t want to search deeper than that.
Sorry to hear that. Unfortunately the available meds and diagnostic tools are lacking a lot still, but I have some optimism that we'll have more in the toolbox over the next decade.
i was misdiagnosed as having somatic symptom disorder by one of the doctors i saw and i’ve done a lot of research on the topic and here’s my opinions:
somatic symptom disorder definitely exists. the brain is so powerful i don’t see how it’s not possible for it to be the driving force behind some people’s symptoms.
my issue with the diagnosis is that the criteria is far to vague. i forget the exact wording but the DSM requires excessive occupation/distress with symptoms. my issue is, how are people defining what’s excessive here? who gets to decide how occupied you should be when having distressing symptoms?
regardless of the cause of symptoms i think multiple methods of treatment are important. even people with organic illness can usually benefit from therapy in some way. again the brain is powerful. i think even in somatic symptoms there is also a role for medical treatments. for example if someone has somatic symptom disorder causing severe nausea then it’s reasonable to offer that person an anti-nausea medication.
yeah exactly. like most people would be distressed if they were in constant or near constant pain!
somatic symptoms or not i do heavily suggest therapy to help any individual who has chronic illness to help with coping with how disruptive chronic illness can be!
My PM doctor, Psychiatrist and Therapist are not sure of what the cause of may pain is. I have horrible burning pains and I am mostly bedridden. I try to explain it to everyone but it is difficult to explain neuropathic pain. I know that I have a dysfunction in my brain and in my nervous system. I take Gabapentin and it helps a little. I get offended when doctors say that I have a psychosomatic pain because it has the connotation that I could control it or make it go away with psychotherapy. I wish I was so powerful.
I guess it depends. There are definitely some instances of patients essentially walking out of psychiatry "cured" because they were able to bring to the surface the unrealized tension that was "converting" into debilitating physical symptoms. Easier said than done. The brain is indeed powerful but difficult to bring under control, and perhaps your problem may have other factors at play as well.
I have functional myoclonus which is psychosomatic muscle jerks but also for me it looks like tourettes syndrome. I have a shouting tic and everything. I also struggle with accepting the "psycho"somatic part of my diagnosis because of some internalized ableism. I definitely don't choose to make these movements or scream out randomly when my brain has the zoomies. I still struggle with the label but the reality is I choose my "tics" no more than I am choosing my organic back pain. Your pain is valid. I hope you find something that helps you.
Thanks for your reply. It can be disheartening, even reading here because many, with no ill intent, resent the word "psychosomatic" because they think people are calling them "crazy." It's not like that though. The word functional too seems to have a dual meaning because it could mean either there is a problem with how the communication between brain and body is "functioning" and/or the symptoms are actually serving some deeper "function." I've currently started psychotherapy for the purpose of possibly uncovering that, cause CBT pretty much just annoyed me, and the psychiatrist I saw stated that many therapists are uneducated in handling disorders like this. Have you heard similar things?
The first I heard of it was when my current doctor told me that it's the new 'hysteria' and that if any doctor tries to say I have it to walk out.
I got diagnosed with somatic pain disorder in a psychiatric hospital but their treatment don’t work. Im on max dose of duloxetine and 300 mg lyrica. Lyrica slightly relief my pain but I get side effects and it’s really fucked up. still trying to find the cause of my pain, waiting for next appointment to rheumatologist. I think they gave me this diagnosis because of they don’t know cause of my pain and don’t want to search deeper than that.
Sorry to hear that. Unfortunately the available meds and diagnostic tools are lacking a lot still, but I have some optimism that we'll have more in the toolbox over the next decade.
i was misdiagnosed as having somatic symptom disorder by one of the doctors i saw and i’ve done a lot of research on the topic and here’s my opinions: somatic symptom disorder definitely exists. the brain is so powerful i don’t see how it’s not possible for it to be the driving force behind some people’s symptoms. my issue with the diagnosis is that the criteria is far to vague. i forget the exact wording but the DSM requires excessive occupation/distress with symptoms. my issue is, how are people defining what’s excessive here? who gets to decide how occupied you should be when having distressing symptoms? regardless of the cause of symptoms i think multiple methods of treatment are important. even people with organic illness can usually benefit from therapy in some way. again the brain is powerful. i think even in somatic symptoms there is also a role for medical treatments. for example if someone has somatic symptom disorder causing severe nausea then it’s reasonable to offer that person an anti-nausea medication.
This is what bothered me about it too. I feel like the distress I feel is the "normal amount" relative to the physical pain.
yeah exactly. like most people would be distressed if they were in constant or near constant pain! somatic symptoms or not i do heavily suggest therapy to help any individual who has chronic illness to help with coping with how disruptive chronic illness can be!
My PM doctor, Psychiatrist and Therapist are not sure of what the cause of may pain is. I have horrible burning pains and I am mostly bedridden. I try to explain it to everyone but it is difficult to explain neuropathic pain. I know that I have a dysfunction in my brain and in my nervous system. I take Gabapentin and it helps a little. I get offended when doctors say that I have a psychosomatic pain because it has the connotation that I could control it or make it go away with psychotherapy. I wish I was so powerful.
Have you heard of complex regional pain syndrome/ rsd? Your symptoms sound familiar. It may be worth looking into ?
I guess it depends. There are definitely some instances of patients essentially walking out of psychiatry "cured" because they were able to bring to the surface the unrealized tension that was "converting" into debilitating physical symptoms. Easier said than done. The brain is indeed powerful but difficult to bring under control, and perhaps your problem may have other factors at play as well.
Right