Psychosomatic cough | Psychosomatics

Psychosomatic cough

When one speaks of a psychosomatic cough, it is the psychogenic cough. In addition to coughing, patients often suffer from a feeling of tightness in the chest area, a burning sensation or pain, which becomes stronger or is constant during inhalation. Since the symptoms hardly differ from those of a classical cold, a conversation between the doctor and the patient in which the patient describes his problems in detail is of decisive importance.

Often an acutely stressful event in the patient’s life is related to the sudden onset of a psychosomatic cough. In addition to acutely stressful events, a psychosomatic cough can also occur, especially in cases of depression or an anxiety disorder. In children, after a prolonged illness of the lungs (for example whooping cough), it can happen that they continue to cough for a long period of time even after the illness has been overcome.

The reason for this is a so-called conditioning. For example, they have learned that they receive attention every time they cough. This can lead to the children continuing to cough even after the disease is long gone.

However, this psychosomatic cough usually disappears on its own after a few days, so psychotherapy is not necessary. In rare cases a so-called tic disorder can lead to a psychosomatic cough. In this case, the patient has the inner urge to cough immediately, without there being any physical cause.

Tic disorders usually begin in childhood, but can also manifest themselves only in adulthood.Psychosomatic cough can usually be treated very well with psychotherapy. However, the prognosis becomes worse the longer the patient suffers from the symptoms. It is therefore recommended to consult a psychotherapist as early as possible.

Psychosomatic bladder

A psychosomatic bladder is either an existing incontinence due to mental illness or a bladder disorder in which the urge to urinate is increased and the patient has symptoms similar to those of a bladder infection. Particularly with smaller children, it can happen that they, although they have not actually wet the bed for years, suddenly wet the bed again when acutely stressful events occur. This psychosomatic bladder disorder is also known as wetting and should be understood as a warning.

For example, it can happen that the child is acutely overtaxed at school and therefore develops great fear. This can cause the child to wet the bed again at night. Adults can also get wet through depression or anxiety disorders, although these psychosomatic bladder disorders are more likely to occur in children.

In adults, a so-called irritable bladder occurs more often. Here the patient has to go to the toilet extremely often and has a constant urge to urinate. An irritable bladder can have many different causes, for example an enlarged prostate in men, but it can also be psychosomatically caused.

The patient is often extremely afraid of wetting himself/herself and must therefore constantly go to the toilet. This psychosomatic bladder disorder occurs mainly in older people, with women and depressive patients being particularly frequently affected. In order to avoid a vicious circle, affected patients should seek professional help in the form of psychotherapy as early as possible.

Patients with dementia also frequently suffer from psychosomatic bladder disorders, in which the patients often wet themselves. In these cases, therapy is often difficult and the symptoms can only be improved by wearing diapers.