Psychogenic abdominal pain in children
Abdominal pain is one of the most common symptoms expressed by children. Often, especially in the case of recurring abdominal pain, no organic cause in the sense of a physical illness can be found. This is often called navel colic in children.
Meanwhile it is assumed that every fifth child suffers from such psychosomatic complaints. This is probably due to the constantly increasing pressure to perform, both at school and in the private environment. Many already suffer from fear of failure at primary school age and the development of physical symptoms, as already mentioned often abdominal pain, is an attempt of the psyche to deal with this stress.
Also children who are bullied or are afraid of other classmates and teachers are often observed to have stomach aches, especially in the morning when the children have to leave for school. If the complaints persist for a long time and the triggering situations and the accompanying stress do not change, there is a risk of chronicity and development of further mental illnesses, led by depression. In case of doubt, a doctor should therefore always be consulted. The therapy is based on two pillars – on the one hand the treatment of the pain in order to avoid getting into a vicious circle of pain and depression as described under the point “Causes” and on the other hand the elimination or treatment of the underlying psychological cause.
Psychogenic abdominal pain with diarrhoea
Diarrhoea is often an accompanying symptom of psychologically caused abdominal pain. The activation of the autonomic nervous system as a result of stress, anxiety or nervousness most likely plays a major role in the development of diarrhoea. Diarrhoea often increases with increasing stress levels or occurs exclusively in such situations.
You can find further interesting information on this topic at Diarrhoea caused by stress Diarrhoea is often accompanied by cramping abdominal pain. In the well-known irritable bowel syndrome, in which those affected often suffer from diarrhoea, sufferers naturally have a more sensitive gastrointestinal tract. The cause is as yet unknown.
However, a psychological component is suspected, since stress in particular often affects the digestion of those suffering from it, leading to diarrhoea. In the well-known irritable bowel syndrome, in which those affected often suffer from diarrhoea, those affected naturally have a more sensitive gastrointestinal tract. The cause is as yet unknown. However, a psychological component is suspected, since stress in particular often affects the digestion of those suffering from it, and diarrhoea occurs.
Psychogenic abdominal pain with flatulence
Many people are plagued by flatulence and the resulting distended stomach. Not infrequently, a distended abdomen is psychosomatically caused as a result of an increased stress level. People who by nature already suffer from a sensitive stomach react all the more strongly to stressful situations and often complain of a combination of stomach aches, diarrhoea and flatulence.
The inner pressure that builds up due to the psychological strain is literally reflected physically in this way. With decreasing stress levels, the complaints often decrease or even disappear completely. Psychologically induced flatulence is very often experienced by those affected as unpleasant and stressful, which in turn can itself have an impact on the psyche. A vicious circle develops, which in the worst case can lead to more serious mental illnesses, such as depression or social withdrawal.
