Writing Resources
Psychosomatic disorders are physical symptoms concerns or illnesses of the body that originate from emotional and thinking processes There is a mental aspect to every physical disease How we react to disease and how we cope with disease vary greatly from person to person For example the rash of psoriasis may not bother some people very much However the rash covering the same parts of the body in someone else may make them feel depressed and more ill It is important to remember that psychosomatic illnesses have real symptoms and are diseases with real physical manifestations Emotions can critically influence health and disease An example is how particular emotions can either increase common symptoms of a disease or the likelihood of being afflicted by a disease Many diseases are strongly connected to certain emotions For example people who display high levels of aggression hostility or anger seem to be more likely to develop cardiovascular problems The brain can also affect certain cells of the immune system that may cause one to experience illness and disease Some physical diseases are thought to be particularly prone to be made worse by mental factors such as stress and anxiety For example these include psoriasis eczema stomach ulcers high blood pressure and heart disease Emotions may also cause different physical symptoms
