somatization disorder?

Question

i'm always spaced out and disoriented and feel like i'm in a dream. my whole body aches. im always tired and sleep too much. i have no energy or motivation. i'm always cold even in a warm room. my body goes numb and tingly. i get chest pains. my boobs are very painful. I'm always constipated and have massive stomach aches, especially after eating certain foods like chocolate. I'm always extremely naseous. It's harder for me to hear out of my ears but i can breathe through my nose fine, my sinuses really hurt too and i have post nasal drip along with extreme eye pain and pressure, my bladder hurts really bad and so does urinating. my balance is all messed up and i get extremely dizzy and feel like i'm going to fall.

i'm called a hypochondriac, but i wouldnt be searching up possible diseases if all the symptoms didn't cause me so much problems. but every time i've been checked for something it comes out normal and the only things ive been diagnosed with is Generalized Anxiety, Orthostatic Hypotension, and Psychosis.

think it could be somatization disorder?

i really don't know what to do. i'd be stuck at the doctors for hours if i went for all those problems. i just want to feel normal.

Answer 1

That's certainly a possibility. If everything has been checked physically maybe you should see a psychiatrist. Somatization Disorder has numerous physical symptoms that have no organic cause. Anxiety disorders can cause physical symptoms but I'm not sure to the extent that you describe.

Answer 2

It's a bit of a chicken & egg type question. Quite often, when there are loads of physical problems, it's put down to a mind-related problem somatizing, because there's no obvious physical cause. But some mind problems are caused by something physical.

It sounds as though you've done everything you can to find out why your body isn't working properly & you've been told it's caused by your mind. This might be true, but it's very difficult to get definitive diagnosis of mind problems, so saying it's caused by your mind is just a way of the medics saying they don't know how to help so try someone else.

You could see if a psychiatrist or a psychotherapist could help. If not you could go totally outside mainstream medical help & into alternative medicine. Alternative practitioners can often do stuff that others can't. Another possibility (though risky) is to try religious/spiritual healing, though some of this stuff can be dead scary & can even make things worse.

I wonder if you may have some sort of undetected allergy? I once worked with a guy whose health went downhill under extreme stress, but when the stress was removed he didn't get better. Turned out he was allergic to the mercury in his teeth fillings & in his watch battery (he didn't even have to be touching it, just near it to be affected). He found this out by paying a kinesiologist to carry out tests on the strength of his arm in different circumstances. Once he found out what was causing the problem, he had his tooth fillings & watch changed & within 6 months he was back at work.

So while it might be worthwhile exploring the psychosomatic route, don't give up on physical causes as well. If you can find out what is the root of the problem, then you should be able to deal with the cause & start to get better.

All the best & don't give up hope!