What they are
Childhood and adolescence are two phases of the life cycle in which individuals face numerous tasks and changes that constitute normal stages of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral development. Starting school, integrating with peers, learning social rules, changes in one’s body… these are just some of the most important challenges where children and/or adolescents may encounter difficulties. In some cases, these difficulties can cause excessive discomfort and prevent a serene growth.
It is important, then, to identify as early as possible any signs of distress that can frequently be expressed through more or less visible behaviors. Often, children have difficulty verbalizing their needs or discomfort, and it is for this reason that the body becomes the privileged channel for expressing emotional states. Children often use their body as the privileged place and means to express their discomfort, perhaps to subtly request the attention of adults, which does not only mean the need for physical care, but emotional quality and consistency within the relationship.
Although there is no organic cause in these disorders, they can be considered real illnesses caused or aggravated by emotional factors, which can also result in damage at the organic level. In fact, negative emotions, such as resentment, regret, sadness, anger, or worry, can keep the nervous system in a state of excitement and the body in a condition of continuous emergency, sometimes for a longer time than the organism can bear, causing damage to the weakest organs.
How they manifest
In children and adolescents, psychosomatic disorders can manifest in various ways, involving:
- The cutaneous system (eczema, psoriasis, acne, atopic dermatitis, itching, hives, dry skin and mucous membranes, profuse sweating, alopecia)
- The gastrointestinal system (nausea, bloating, vomiting, diarrhea, gastritis, colitis, ulcer, intolerance to numerous different foods)
- The respiratory system (asthma, hyperventilation syndrome)
- The cardiovascular system (tachycardia, arrhythmias, ischemic heart disease, hypertension)
- The urogenital system (enuresis, encopresis, menstrual pain, impotence, premature ejaculation or anorgasmia)
- The musculoskeletal system (headache, migraine, muscle cramps, stiff neck, myalgia, arthritis, cervical spine pain)
- Eating (Anorexia, Bulimia, Binge Eating Disorder).
Risk factors
The impact on the child of any potential cause must be related to the degree of personal vulnerability, determined by a set of factors (genetic, biological, and social). In particular, the risk factors for the development of Psychosomatic Disorders are:
- Personality traits: sensitive, conscientious, insecure, and anxious child or adolescent
- High expectations in every area: the child or adolescent sets very high goals, is focused on achieving the best academic results (often in response to parental investments)
- The child or adolescent is perceived by parents as a very “good,” well-adjusted child
- Absence of organic pathology
- Female gender
- Experiences of separation and/or loss
In addition to the risk factors described above, the context (particularly relationships in the family environment) is of crucial importance for the psychological development of the child. A negative emotional climate within the family, such as family conflicts, negatively affects the child’s well-being, as do traumatic events and/or problems related to contexts outside the family.
In recent decades, there has been a profound change that has involved various areas of our lives, including social, cultural, and lifestyle models.
Even the family, where the child begins their emotional and affective development, has been affected by this great change: today, large families with solid reference figures are rarer, while smaller families are more common. Children are increasingly entrusted to the care of third parties (grandparents, babysitters…) at an earlier age, and
This is confirmed by pediatricians of the Italian Federation of Pediatric Physicians (FIMP), according to whom there would be an increasing number of children suffering from stress-related illnesses, often linked to tense relationships with parents, made difficult by the hectic rhythms and daily challenges adults face in balancing work and family. In fact, in these families, there emerges a difficulty for both the child and the parents in attributing emotional meaning to the symptom.
How intervention is possible
The therapy involves a multidisciplinary, integrated, and comprehensive intervention among various specialists: pediatrician, educators, teachers, and psychologists. A psychological intervention by developmental professionals is indicated not only in cases of manifest disorder but also for preventive purposes, diagnosis, and support.
Various studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of various types of interventions, including:
- Individual therapy for the child and/or adolescent, structured along two main directions:
- Psychotherapy courses aimed at promoting change in those aspects that can be a source of discomfort and psychological suffering (mental, emotional, and behavioral patterns, dysfunctional relational dynamics…). Through dialogue, play, or drawing, the therapist helps the child understand their negative thoughts, recognize the resulting emotions, and symptomatic behaviors. This work of understanding and recognizing one’s experiences, together with sharing with the child and their parents, can initiate a phase of change and thus reduce symptoms and discomfort.
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR): an effective method in treating symptoms that develop following a traumatic experience, based on desensitization and reprocessing of traumatic outcomes through eye movements. EMDR is a widely used and very effective method in treating children and adolescents: it can happen, in fact, that the child experiences traumatic events that can cause discomfort or suffering such as being a victim of bullying, witnessing or experiencing accidents, being a victim of abuse or violence. Such experiences can happen once or multiple times, but also continue for years, leading the child or young person to feel uncomfortable and/or different from others and contributing to developing images of what happened. Thanks to EMDR treatment, this condition can improve, and symptoms can first diminish and then disappear completely.
- Psychoeducation for parents: a form of education aimed at parents to access a series of information clearly and concisely, in order to increase and acquire awareness, ability to manage the illness and its consequences.
- Support for the parental couple with the aim of strengthening parenting skills in the face of the discomfort manifested by their child; in these cases, having a space where they can be listened to and comforted can be of great help in better understanding their own emotions and those of their child. In this space, it is possible to reflect on how to be together with one’s child as well as on family communication habits. Through understanding and sharing these aspects, it is possible to understand and reduce the discomfort of the child and their family.
- Family therapy: aimed at all family members, its purpose is to promote understanding of some dysfunctional mechanisms that may have led to a situation of impasse and the manifestation of a psychosomatic symptom in one of its members. Through this intervention, we try to identify new and more functional ways of mutual listening and expression of personal needs.
Who our interventions are for
- Children
- Adolescents
- Parents
- Families
Bibliographic sources used
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