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Physical
Complaints and Pain
You
are fed up with doctors. You've seen seven in the last month,
and not one of them has been helpful. Each had some different
test to run on you, and all the tests have come back normal.
Or so they say. You know that you are in so much pain that
there must be something causing it. First it was your back,
but now your knees and neck are hurting as well. One doctor
put his stethoscope to your chest, and you screamed in pain.
He asked whether it was a sharp pain or whether you felt
burning or pressure. What kind of question is that? It was
all of the above!
Now
your colon problem has been coming back. You feel gassy
all day. Your food doesn't seem like it's digesting properly.
Maybe you have an ulcer? And with all these problems, you
really don't feel up to having sex any more. It's just too
uncomfortable.
You
explained all this to the last doctor, but he said he wasn't
going to do another exam. He said he'd like you to see a
colleague of his, a psychiatrist. He said that the problems
were all in your mind. As if you could imagine such pain!
This
chapter covers the following topics:
- Physical
Complaints and Pain
- Pain
Is a Complex Physical and Mental Experience
- Somatoform
Disorders Are Characterized by Exaggerated Physical Concerns
- How
to Cope with Pain and Physical Concerns
- Analgesic
Medications
- Narcotics
Are Not the Only Treatments for Pain
This
excerpt may not be reproduced without written permission
from the publishers.
Fifty Signs of Mental Illness: A Guide to Understanding
Mental Health
Yale University Press / New Haven and London
Copyright © 2005 by James Whitney Hicks
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