If I had to vote for a phrase, just 4 short words, that cause more problems in our society than most others it would be these: All in your head. To hear these words as a person with medical symptoms brings about such a cascade of thoughts. Anything from " My doctor doesn't believe me " to " Are my symptoms really happening? " with corresponding emotions of anxiety, confusion, anger, even rage. I spend a lot of time undoing the damage these 4 words can do in the patients I see. They've been told, either directly or indirectly, their disease is psychologically based. And that means it's really not that bad, that they should just get over it and move on. It's a running thread in most of the patients with any "functional" diagnosis I've seen, such as irritable bowel syndrome, but also appears in those with "organic" conditions - those diseases perceived as real like inflammatory bowel disease. These 4 words are pa
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