Although coughing is a normal reflex that helps clear the airways, it can also indicate a more serious issue, particularly if it persists without apparent medical reason. This is where the study of psychosomatics, which examines how psychological and emotional variables can affect physical symptoms, comes into play. A chronic cough can be a physical symptom of accumulated stress, anxiety, or unresolved emotions in both children and adults.
A child’s psychosomatic cough may be brought on by family conflicts, school stress, or even insecurity. Adults may have long-standing emotional problems, unresolved conflicts, or work-related stressors. It can be difficult to identify the symptoms of a psychosomatic cough, but by realizing that there may be a link between the mind and body, you can treat the underlying issue rather than just the symptom.
The psychosomatic aspects of coughing will be discussed in this article, along with how emotional health can affect physical health. Whether you’re an adult with a recalcitrant cough or a parent worried about your child’s health, researching the mind-body connection may have the answers you need.
| Cause | Description |
| Stress | Cough can be a response to stress, as the body reacts to emotional strain. |
| Unexpressed Emotions | Feelings like anger or sadness that are not communicated can manifest as a cough. |
| Attention-Seeking | Sometimes, a cough might be a way to get attention or express a need for care. |
| Fear | Fear of speaking up or anxiety about certain situations can trigger a psychosomatic cough. |
| Suppressed Feelings | Holding back tears or not expressing feelings can cause a persistent cough in some people. |
General information
All people experience coughing at the same rate: adults and children alike. However, children cough more frequently, and conventional medicine attributes this to the congenital narrowing of children’s airways. One of the symptoms of a cough is an involuntary mouth breath release. The signal from irritated receptors causes the respiratory tract’s muscles to contract. Coughing is caused by receptors in the pharynx, trachea, bronchi, and nose.
It is difficult to overstate the importance of coughing because the body uses it as an unwavering protective mechanism to clear the respiratory tract of anything that might obstruct normal breathing. The human body uses coughing to try to get rid of foreign objects in the respiratory system, such as dust and food particles, as well as phlegm, pus, and blood. Consequently, a doctor will always interpret a patient’s complaints about a cough as a signal for proactive diagnostic measures; if the cause of the symptom is not identified, no medication will be recommended.
Psychosomatic reasons
Consider the physiological significance of coughing—it serves as a release and a form of defense against things that interfere with breathing normally. A cough has the same meaning from a psychosomatic perspective.
The respiratory system represents a person’s interaction with the external environment. Furthermore, this relationship should only be reciprocal: inhalation (where information is taken in from the outside world) and exhalation (where something is released into the outside world).
Forced exhalations that violate proper breathing patterns in an effort to release something that is tormenting him deeply but that he is unable to verbalize or demonstrate. Subconscious mind then takes over, keeping a close eye on survival in all circumstances and causing a cough to release repressed feelings.
A psychosomatic cough is easily identified because the doctor is unable to determine the cause of the patient’s cough (test results are normal, and X-rays do not reveal any pathological lung changes). This is where psychosomatic meanings come into play. Either the cause has been identified, but the medication is ineffective, or the cough keeps coming back frequently. Each of these circumstances ought to imply that the real reason is located outside of the lungs.
Cough frequently starts to torment those who have accomplished a lot; they have acquired a position in society and lead lives that are filled with a sense of personal significance and originality. As a result, he starts to believe that everyone else in the outside world is unworthy of his attention.
There is difficulty exhaling, different respiratory organ pathologies emerge that show up in different ways, and a cough is the only symptom that all respiratory illnesses share in common.
People who try to cling to the old and familiar and refuse to accept new things from the outside world also suffer from cough and other respiratory ailments. Thus, rather than coming to the therapist content to understand all the innovations of the modern world, pensioners who reject the idea of paying for housing and communal services via the Internet and would rather stand for hours with a receipt at the post office are more likely to complain of coughing.
People who have lofty aspirations in life also tend to cough more frequently, which leaves them feeling let down frequently. They experience pain from contact and interaction with the outside world, which causes them to see things differently. As a result, they start to cough and exhale more frequently and shallowly. There are numerous notable instances of such adults in history; pulmonary diseases like tuberculosis were particularly common during the Decembrist era, during the turbulent years of the revolution.
Examine the faces of the most notable revolutionaries; they are all extremely slender, with sunken cheeks and puffy eyes. They didn’t find happiness or fulfillment in the world around them, and they lived with lofty ideals in which they believed. Because of this, nearly all of them experienced chronic, incapacitating coughs as well as illnesses of the lungs and bronchi.
Recall Turgenev’s young ladies: those who live in a made-up world, the world of their own dreams and fantasies, and who suffer from coughs and other respiratory ailments, are not the people who will instigate revolutions or take over governments. Even though these exalted individuals may be highly intelligent, well-read, and educated, they vehemently object to "breathing in" the outside world in its current form. A scratchy cough starts.
Individuals who identify with a particular thing, usually religion, frequently start coughing. They find happiness not only in believing but also in the necessity of starting to rejoice with all of their friends, neighbors, and coworkers. As a result, they start trying to force their religion and its doctrines on everyone, and when they run into miscommunication and rejection from other people, they get a painful cough.
Psychoanalysts have noted this particular detail: a person almost always starts to cough when he has something to say but chooses to keep quiet for private reasons.
Free breathing is impeded by words and thoughts, which also break up communication with the outside world.
Psychologists believe that if your conversation partner coughs during a conversation, it indicates that he is clearly disagreeing with your point of view but is unable to express it.
In children
Coughing in children is frequently psychogenic, according to psychosomatics. That is, no pediatrician or ENT specialist can identify a cause for it. Psychogenic cough is often misdiagnosed as allergic. However, the psychology of childhood illnesses needs to be researched, even if a child frequently gets laryngotracheitis, bronchitis, or fits of intense coughing. This will help to swiftly resolve the issue and relieve the child of an uncomfortable symptom.
For children, it is generally normal to live in an imaginary world. They are always creating something, giving toys magical abilities, spiritualizing them, imagining something, and comfortably existing in this amazing world.
Fantasy and imagination are necessary for a child’s mental development at specific times. When adults recognize this, embrace innovations, and engage with this "world," respiratory system issues in children are extremely rare. If adults start to harshly "rip off the wings" of the dream, such as by saying things like "don’t make it up," "don’t invent," "it doesn’t happen," "wizards don’t exist," "don’t lie," "gnomes couldn’t have scattered toys in your room," etc., the opposite occurs.
A child who fantasizes will attempt to distance himself from the adult, keep his fantasy world hidden from him, not reveal it, and live in it independently the more an adult tries to "ground" the child. The likelihood of the child getting a severe psychogenic cough increases with the strength of the wall the child builds.
These kids don’t know how to interact with the outside world, they can’t find a middle ground, and as a result, serious respiratory conditions like bronchial asthma frequently arise. Pneumonia or oncological lung disease could develop if the child’s illness is accompanied by intense resentment.
If parents complain that their child has "weak lungs" and coughs all the time, it’s important to find out how much trust this family has and how much the child’s interests are taken into consideration. It is not surprising that the child is suffering from a severe dry cough that is not clearing up and is causing no relief if his lofty goals are not supported, if the family only discusses money and material possessions, and if spirituality is not valued.
The children of wealthy parents also fall into this category of coughing kids. They frequently have everything they need as they grow up, enjoying everything that their classmates and peers from average families can only imagine. Consequently, the child acquires a unique perspective on material possessions and, in turn, on other kids. They feel better and superior to their peers, treating them at best in a condescending manner; they are genuinely higher, different people. Chronic respiratory diseases develop in this way: the environment becomes "second-rate" and is unpleasant to breathe in.
There is a simpler and more common cause of respiratory illnesses and coughing in small children. Their own parents forbid them from breathing normally, encircling their child with such intense concern that he is unable to breathe on his own. Parents make all the clothing and food decisions for him; they don’t ask him what he wants because they believe they know what’s best for the child.
The child tries to "shout out" to them when he coughs, asking them to listen to what he has to say and show interest in what he has to offer. The baby will still cough to convey his disapproval of something, even if he is still too young to talk.
It is necessary to discuss separately the fairly common occurrence of incomprehensible, frequent coughing in children who receive loving care. Sometimes parents, grandparents, and uncles will idolize their child to such an extent (this is common when late-brought children are the product of a long pregnancy) that they immediately establish the infant as the family’s primary caregiver and themselves as the military personnel. The child’s interests take precedence over the interests of the entire family. When examining any issue, parents consider how reasonable it is for Nastenka, Kolenka, and Sashenka.
When a child receives a pulmonary diagnosis, it often comes as a shock to them. After all, they are shielded from drafts, receive only the best products, and are constantly watched over! However, the issue is not with bacteria, the cold, or vitamins; rather, it is with the child-god’sbeliefthat he is more valuable than everything in the world. The taste of it becomes unpleasant to breathe in.
Teens frequently cough as a response to stress and insults. They insulted their first crush and showed no appreciation for it, which led to the development of bronchitis. You experience an insult and contract pneumonia, so you are unable to assume the role you have always wanted in the society of your peers. Parental ignorance, a lack of unity and support at home, insults and disappointments resurface, and pneumonia, bronchitis, or tracheitis sets in.
Psychogenic cough
A cough that appears out of the blue (i.e., in the absence of diseases, as determined by testing) needs its own explanations. When pulmonary diseases develop in adults, in addition to the previously mentioned factors, one of the main causes is frequently an intense desire to draw attention to oneself, especially if there is no other way to achieve this.
Extremely sensitive individuals with a concerning psychological inventory who have a propensity to hold themselves responsible for everything. They are able to "punish" themselves for the mistakes they believe they are to blame for.
Individuals who have been bothersome for a long time because they are compelled to carry out the tasks they are burdened with, but who are unable to express this openly (due to fears of losing their jobs, relationships, etc. d.), may experience a chronic, long-lasting psychogenic cough. They will explain it to anyone who has any kind of allergy—dust or cat allergies, smoking, hazardous jobs, etc.
A shift in activities typically improves health and puts an end to coughing.
Comprehending the psychosomatic aspects of cough in both pediatric and adult populations emphasizes the complex relationship between the mind and body. Despite being primarily a physical symptom, coughing can have strong emotional and psychological associations. Coughing fits can be brought on by stress, anxiety, or emotional distress, demonstrating the connection between mental and physical health.
Understanding these relationships is essential to receiving comprehensive care. Incorporating psychological interventions in addition to medical symptoms can result in more comprehensive and successful treatment. This combined method not only helps with cough relief but also enhances general health.
In the end, raising awareness of psychosomatic influences can enable people and families to request more complex and compassionate medical treatment. We can improve our quality of life and effectively manage coughs by taking into account both the physical and emotional aspects.
The study of how psychological problems, emotional stress, and unresolved emotions can appear as physical symptoms like a chronic cough is known as psychosomatics of cough in children and adults. It emphasizes the link between the mind and body by demonstrating how, even in the absence of a clear medical cause, stress, anxiety, or suppressed emotions can cause or worsen coughing. By addressing the underlying emotional factors as well as the physical symptoms, a more comprehensive and successful treatment plan can be achieved by acknowledging this connection.
