Psychosomatics and psychotherapy | Specialists and information

What is psychosomatics / psychosomatic medicine?

Psychosomatics or psychosomatic medicine is based on the assumption that mental (psychological) imbalance or psychological disorders can affect the body and its functions.

In the long term, this leads to actual signs of illness, so-called symptoms, of a physical (somatic) illness. Psychosomatic medicine now attempts to treat the underlying psychological influencing factors with a multifactorial approach from the field of psychotherapy.

If this is successful, the patient is later free of symptoms or is at least exposed to less severe symptoms of their respective psychosomatic disorder.

Which illnesses are treated by psychosomatic specialists?

Psychosomatic specialists primarily treat mental illnesses, which can very often be found as triggers for physical symptoms. These primarily include, for example

• anxiety disorders,
• burnout syndrome
• chronic facial pain,
• chronic headaches,
• chronic back pain,
• but also depression and
• fibromyalgia, which is more common in women and manifests itself in recurring, diffuse pain in the joints, skin, bones and muscles.

Psychosomatic medicine is also helpful for personality disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, somatoform illnesses, somatoform pain disorders and stress-related illnesses.

Depression is often accompanied by non-specific physical symptoms @ MP Studio /AdobeStock

What diagnostic procedures do psychosomatic specialists use?

Diagnosing psychosomatic illnesses is not always easy. The symptoms cannot be physically identified on the basis of measurable changes. As a result, many patients have already seen a number of specialists who may use the following diagnostic procedures:

• Long-term blood pressure measurement
• Pulmonary function test
• Medical-neurological examination
• Resting, exercise or long-term ECG
• Ultrasound

Mental disorders, which may be a possible cause, are not obvious on the surface. In many cases, the psychosomatic specialist must then find out in anamnesis sessions exactly where the disorder originates. To this end, psychosomatic medicine asks about these aspects:

• Anamnesis to establish the patient's life and medical history
• Assessment of current stress, psychosocial resources and possible solutions
• Psychological tests
• Behavioral analysis/psychodynamic diagnostics

Which treatments / therapies are used in psychosomatics?

Once the cause has been identified in the patient's psyche, the psychosomatic specialist has various tools at hand to either cure the illness or, in most cases, to make the illness manageable and thus reduce the physical effects.

Such methods of self-reflection and autosuggestion are, for example, talk therapy or autogenic training. Psychoanalysis with subsequent behavioral therapy can also be tried. This is a particularly suitable psychosomatic instrument for anxiety disorders and trauma.

Talk therapy helps with psychosomatic complaints @ WavebreakmediaMicro /AdobeStock

Which specialists are experts in psychosomatics?

A specialist in psychosomatics and psychotherapy is the point of contact for all psychosomatic-related illnesses. However, there are also specialized psychological psychotherapists, specialists in psychiatry and psychotherapy as well as a number of therapists qualified in body psychotherapy.

In addition to therapists in private practice, specialists in psychosomatics can also be found in specialized psychosomatic clinics.