Mental health problems can often cause physical symptoms. When our emotions like anger and sadness are not dealt with, the body is adversely affected. When these physical symptoms are caused or made worse by your mental state, it’s called psychosomatic. Many people believe these symptoms aren’t real, but they are in fact very real symptoms, that have a psychological cause. They can also be triggered by stress hormones including cortisol and adrenaline. There are a lot of physical symptoms to look out for and knowing the signs is the first step in improving mental health and alleviating the symptoms.
Below is a list of some of the symptoms parents can look out for
• Feeling run down and catching every cold that is doing the rounds
• Back, neck, or joint pain
• Gaining or losing weight
• Heart palpitations
• Sleeping issues like insomnia or nightmares
• Diarrhoea or constipation
• Skin conditions such as eczema on the hands or rashes
• Dizzy spells
• Tingly and numb hands and feet
• Feeling hot and/or sweaty
• Stomach cramps and nausea
• Headaches or migraines
• Twitches, tics and stuttering
• Fatigue and exhaustion
• Sore throats that are continuous or frequent
• Painful jaw and teeth
• Bedwetting
• Shaky hands
• Irregular periods
• Seizures and blackouts
As always, it’s important to check out any troubling symptoms with a medical practitioner to rule out any other cause. However if they do prove to be psychosomatic then it’s important to recognise the symptoms are no less real.
