11: Somatization

Somatization is the redirection of psychological distress into physical symptoms. When confronted with a psychologically difficult situation, or even a situation that has the potential to be traumatic, a person experiences physical symptoms that may include paralysis or the loss of sensory perception (to become deaf or blind).

Psychosomatic seizures can often be diagnosed by blood testing, as there is a marked increase in the hormone prolactin following a physical seizure, and no such effect from a psychological one.

There is the common perception that psychosomatic disabilities are not real. One can say that these attacks have no biological basis - but given that the patient experiencing the event is unaware of the cause, it is as "real" to them as any physical symptom and all the more frustrating because they are not attributable to a specific cause of which the patient is consciously aware.

Somatization also differs from feigned symptoms in that the latter are purposefully manufactured in order to draw attention to oneself or to shirk responsibilities, whereas psychosomatic conditions are involuntary. While a person who has somatic symptoms may benefit from or even enjoy the attention given to them because of their condition, it is not a conscious goal.

It has long been suggested that somatization may cause interference even with involuntary physical systems, such as the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems. This is supported by evidence that people under high levels of stress are susceptible to infectious and viral diseases, as well as the statistical study (Mostofsky) that indicates a "21-fold increased risk" of a heart attack during the first 24 hours of bereavement, supporting the folk notion of those who "die of a broken heart" after the death of a child, spouse, or other significant figure.