Psychosomatic causes of diarrhea in children and adults

Although it’s commonly believed that diarrhea is a medical problem, it can also have psychological and emotional causes. The body can react unexpectedly, including through the digestive system, when stress, anxiety, or strong emotions accumulate. Psychosomatics, the study of the relationship between the mind and body, is more important than most people realize.

Emotional distress can cause diarrhea in both adults and children. The causes in children may have to do with fear, insecurity, or environmental changes. Similar reactions can occur in adults who are under pressure from their families, jobs, or other sources.

Handling and avoiding these episodes can be made easier by being aware of how emotional factors play a role in digestive issues. When managing diarrhea that may have psychosomatic causes, addressing the emotional state of health is just as crucial as treating the physical symptoms.

Psychosomatic Cause Description
Stress Emotional stress or anxiety can trigger diarrhea, especially in children who are sensitive to changes in their environment.
Fear Fearful situations or thoughts can cause a physical response in the body, leading to digestive issues like diarrhea.
Suppressed Emotions Holding in emotions such as anger or sadness may manifest as digestive problems in both children and adults.
Conflict Internal conflicts, such as struggling with difficult decisions, can sometimes result in physical symptoms like diarrhea.

About pathology

Diarrhea is arguably the most ancient disorder known to science. It was mentioned in Medieval historical sources and was described by physicians in ancient Greece and Rome. It is acknowledged as a fairly expressive symptom of a number of illnesses, both infectious and non-infectious, rather than being seen as a separate illness.

These days, medical professionals are certain that diarrhea can be harmful, but not in and of itself as a condition; rather, it can be harmful because it can cause the body to rapidly become dehydrated. In children, dehydration sets in most quickly. As long as the urge to empty the intestines happens three times a day, acute diarrhea is thought to be the body’s response to bacteria, viruses, enzyme deficiencies, stressed conditions, and other factors. People refer to prolonged diarrhea when loose stools last longer than two weeks, and chronic diarrhea when they last for roughly a month. Mental illnesses, such as anxiety and post-stress disorders, are frequently accompanied by diarrhea.

A disturbance of the digestive system is always linked to diarrhea, as this causes feces to liquefy and increases the urge to urinate. Both internal organ dysfunctions, such as gallbladder disease, and infectious agents, such as bacteria and viruses, hormonal imbalances, and nervous system disorders, which result in the brain sending erroneous or distorted signals to the intestinal receptors, may be the cause.

Psychosomatic diarrhea refers to diarrhea that is not brought on by infections or diseases of the organs. In other words, psychosomatics examines how nervous and mental systems affect how the intestines function.

Psychosomatic causes

In psychosomatic medicine, the intestines are defined as the body’s capacity to take in and process external information. This knowledge will help you comprehend how and why an individual can invent an intestinal disorder for themselves. Additionally, food is not the only topic. It concerns a person’s capacity to accept novelty, fairly assess, process, and let go. This is how digestion normally works.

Stress is always linked to diarrhea because it causes disruptions in the nervous system and brain function. Incorrect nerve signals cause the intestinal walls to contract prematurely, which increases the frequency of bowel movements. A person’s body "signals" him that he is not digesting or assimilating information from the outside world when he has frequent loose stools.

In children, psychosomatic diarrhea typically goes away in two days, while in adults, it usually goes away in three days. Diarrhea stops as soon as the cause of the indigestion is addressed. Diarrhea can sometimes turn chronic if the issue is not resolved.

The psychological profile of an adult experiencing chronic diarrhea or frequent vomiting and diarrhoea is relatively straightforward: A person fails to notice new things because he is too preoccupied with his own attitudes and conceptions of life. As an illustration, consider the elderly woman who feels it would be preferable to wait in a long line at the post office rather than paying her utilities online. The elder’s diarrhea gets worse the more frequently she hears from loved ones that there are more contemporary payment options available that don’t involve waiting in line.

Idiopathic and protracted diarrhea are also caused by a reluctance to get rid of the emotional "garbage" that has accumulated (experiences, long-past affairs). People who are obstinate, arrogant, or who reject any viewpoint that differs from their own frequently experience diarrhea.

Psychosomatics holds that every event and piece of information is given to us not just for our benefit, but specifically for our own benefit. Diarrhea can become a person’s constant companion if he refuses to accept the things that life throws at him and doesn’t even try to alter his mentality and behavior patterns.

In children

Fear of change is a common cause of diarrhea in children. A child’s calm, familiar existence is directly threatened by any significant changes in their family’s life, such as moving, starting kindergarten or school, a parent divorcing, or one of the parents leaving. When kids step outside of their comfort zone, they soon start to feel afraid, which triggers diarrhea. It should be noted that kids who are involved in big family events typically start complaining about stomachaches and diarrhea 24 hours later.

If the infant is breastfed, an increase in adrenaline in the mother’s body may result in diarrhea in the baby. When a mother experiences stress, the hormone seeps partially into the milk, making the baby fearful and anxious and accelerating the onset of diarrhea. The baby has diarrhea, and the mother is baffled because she hasn’t given him anything new to eat. You have to look within for the cause of your feelings. When given a bottle, babies naturally detect strange circumstances in their everyday surroundings and respond by voiding.

Diarrhea can take on a personalized form after 3 years. As a result, a kindergartener who doesn’t interact with their teacher starts to "not digest" this person emotionally, which causes loose stools to recur frequently. Children who fear their stepfather or stepmother and are unable to communicate with them often have issues with their intestines and defecation.

Adolescent diarrhea is linked not only to the socially enforced need to learn everything and adapt to new situations, but also to the incapacity of adolescents to distinguish between reliable and false information. They devour it all in great quantities and without discrimination. Furthermore, diarrhea that lasts a long time is frequently caused by this.

Before tests and exams, children and teenagers frequently experience diarrhea as a result of consuming too much information. Profound self-doubt can cause dysbacteriosis in addition to loose stools.

Diarrhea in both adults and children can have psychosomatic causes, such as emotional stress, anxiety, or unresolved psychological issues. Given the strong correlation between the gut and mental health, the body reacts to these emotional triggers by exhibiting physical symptoms such as diarrhea. Comprehending the impact of stress on the digestive system can aid in determining the underlying cause of the issue and provide direction for treatment, emphasizing both mental and physical health.

The influence of speech habits

Psychoanalysts often examine the impact of harmful word forms in relation to diarrhea. A word has the same power as an idea or feeling. It has been observed that bowel disorders are more common in adults and teenagers who frequently use foul language and curse words than in other people. Hemorrhoids can occur if verbal turns like these are not stopped in speech (and medical statistics confirm the link between frequent diarrhea and varicose veins of the hemorrhoidal veins). Tumors growing in the rectum can be the most serious consequence for swearers.

Both adults and children can improve their health management by knowing the link between physical symptoms like diarrhea and emotional stress. Acknowledging the impact of unresolved emotions, fear, or anxiety on physical discomfort is a crucial first step towards obtaining appropriate support and care.

Together with physical care, attending to emotional well-being can result in a more well-rounded approach to health. Addressing psychosomatic problems requires taking the patient as a whole, not just the symptoms.

Developing healthy coping mechanisms, talking through feelings, and getting professional assistance when necessary can significantly enhance general wellbeing and lessen the incidence of psychosomatic symptoms like diarrhea.

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Svetlana Kozlova

Family consultant and family relationship specialist. I help parents build trusting relationships with their children and each other. I believe that a healthy atmosphere in the home is the key to happiness and harmony, which I share in articles and recommendations.

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