9 diseases that may be caused by your mind

Sometimes the symptoms that cause us discomfort have psychological and hormonal causes.

Cuts, blows and tissue ruptures are not the only known causes of symptoms and diseases. Psychosomatic or somatoform disorders, for example, are forms of expression of alterations that are psychological in nature, whether conscious or unconscious.

That is why, in some cases, there appear disorders and and disease patterns caused by the mind appear in some cases.. This means that there are certain symptoms and signs of discomfort that do not appear because they are related to elements of the environment that enter our organism and harm us (blows, cuts, contagions, etc.) or to diseases of purely genetic origin.

Symptoms and disorders caused by the mind

For centuries it has been hypothesized about the existence of symptoms and diseases caused by the mind, although the explanations that have been given have differed. For example, for Jean-Martin Charcot, Sigmund Freud's mentor, in these cases there was an organic alteration producing these changes, while for Freud, in some cases, it was the emotions themselves caused by the repression of ideas and beliefs that produced the disease (thus explaining, for example, cases of hysteria or conversion disorder).

In any case, when we speak of diseases produced by the mind we do not mean that our body works well but the mind does not, because that would be falling into dualism, an unscientific philosophy.

The mind is a product of the activity of the organismIt is not something separate from it, and therefore the alterations with a psychological origin are a specific type of disorder that, like all the others, has an organic and not a "spiritual" cause. Concretely, what originates them is in the brain, although it is not known exactly which parts of the brain are involved.

Physical alterations of psychological origin

But... what are these diseases produced by psychological alterations? These are some of them.

Migraine

Migraine, which is a very intense and recurrent type of headache, can be caused by stress and the changes it produces in the distribution of Blood in the brain.

However, although migraine may have a psychological origin, this does not mean that this disease can be cured. does not mean that this disease can be cured by thinking in a certain way or by being or by exposing oneself more to certain kinds of emotions. Psychologically, it is only possible to intervene to better adapt to their symptoms.

2. Gastrointestinal disorders

The intestines are one of the parts of the body most sensitive to hormonal changes. That is why sudden alterations in the quantity in which some of these substances are secreted by order of the brain can cause the intestine to begin to function in strange ways that generate discomfort. that generate discomfort.

3. Shy bladder syndrome

Some people are unable to urinate if they feel they are being watched. This fact may lead them to think that they have some kind of problem in their bladder or renal system, but in reality the cause of this disorder is purely psychological.. Specifically, it is due to a type of social phobia.

• To learn more about this disorder, you can visit this article: "Paruresis: the shy bladder syndrome".

4. Pain Disorder

In cases of pain disorder, the person complains of intense pain localized in a specific area of the body, without any lesions. without injury or problems in the way he or she or present problems in its way of functioning.

It is believed that this disorder has psychological causes and has to do with suggestion (the propensity to firmly believe in an idea until it becomes real) and the anxiety problems associated with it.

5. Infarction

Heart attacks are vascular diseases closely linked to unhealthy habits related to exercise and diet in general. However, stress levels also play a role, stress levels also play a very important role in the chances of suffering a heart attack.. Ultimately, if anxiety starts to become a constant part of our lives, the circulatory system suffers because it tries to keep many parts of the body in a maximum state of activation.

This state of activation, when it is very intense or becomes chronic, forces the walls of the blood vessels and the heart, causing small ruptures or stretching and narrowing. In turn, this increases the chances of suffering a vascular problem, and the consequences that this can have are very serious: even if death does not occur, there may be sequelae that lead to other diseases.

6. Alopecia due to stress

In many cases, alopecia is a consequence of genetic inheritance, but in others it may be due to specific periods when stress is very high. In these cases, part of the hair falls out evenly and rapidly over a few days. for a few days. Once the period of peak anxiety has passed, the hair grows back normally, although sometimes it may take several months.

The psychosomatic origin of this alteration has to do with the secretion of hormones and the blood flow to the scalp. When we get stressed, stress hormones make the body start to prioritize certain aspects and neglect others so that the body is never out of balance.

7. Psychogenic cough

Some people have such intense and frequent coughing attacks that their quality of life is affected. Normally this problem has a clear cause in some alteration of the respiratory system, but in other cases it is not possible to determine an origin that is not based, basically, in stress and suggestion. In these cases, the cough acts as a sort of recurrent tic.

This class of tics is typical in alterations produced by the anxiety, since they are a way to liberate that energy that overflows us when thinking about what produces stress.

8. Psychogenic itching

People who experience this disorder caused by the mind notice that an area of their body itches. notice how itchy an area of the body itches, leading to uncontrolled scratching.which leads to uncontrolled scratching. Moreover, this itching has no biological cause attributable to the affected area, which is healthy. Suggestion plays a very important role in this somatoform disorder.

9. Acne

Acne is basically based on the cycles of hormone productionand this is something that depends almost entirely on what happens in our brain. That is why stressful events are able to produce or significantly worsen cases of acne, very typical in adolescence and youth.

However, it should be noted that mental states are not the only factor that favors the appearance of acne. Genetics, and in particular skin type, also play a relevant role in this.