{"id":4706,"date":"2023-12-01T14:32:47","date_gmt":"2023-12-01T13:32:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xawekybe.cyon.site\/?page_id=4706"},"modified":"2026-07-20T11:40:55","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T09:40:55","slug":"what-is-psychosomatic-medicine","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.sappm.ch\/en\/what-is-psychosomatic-medicine\/","title":{"rendered":"What is psychosomatic medicine?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n For decades, psychosomatic medicine has been researching the interaction between the body and mind when it comes to human health. Psychosomatic illnesses are not imaginary, their origins can now be scientifically described and they always affect the person as a whole. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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How common are psychosomatic physical complaints?<\/h3>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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Psychosomatic complaints are common. They account for around 20-40% of visits to the doctor. <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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Who is affected by psychosomatic body complaints?<\/h3>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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Everyone is prone to psychosomatic complaints under stress. Children can also have such complaints. The spectrum of ailments is very broad. <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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What are the most common psychosomatic physical complaints?<\/h3>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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Physical symptoms caused by acute stress are the most common. The autonomic nervous system plays a role here, as do stress hormones. Our body then no longer functions as we would like it to. The consequences are physical complaints or sleep disorders. <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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What are typical symptoms of stress?<\/h3>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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In response to acute stress, people may experience, for example, heart palpitations, sweating, digestive problems, tension in the back and neck, difficulty concentrating, and sleep disturbances.<\/p>\n

Chronic stress can also affect the cardiovascular system, metabolism, and the immune system. Under chronic stress, we often react much more sensitively. This, in turn, often causes pain and can make us sick. <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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What is the difference to organic body complaints?<\/h3>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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In the case of purely physical illnesses, the cause lies in a detectable structural change in an organ (e.g., intestinal inflammation that triggers digestive problems).<\/p>\n

Psychosomatic physical symptoms often arise because the organs are not functioning properly. That is why they are also called \u201cfunctional physical symptoms.\u201d For example, work-related stress can cause problems in the digestive tract through hormones and the nervous system. <\/p>\n

It is not always easy to determine whether symptoms are purely physical or psychosomatic. For this reason, the diagnostic process often takes a \u201ctwo-pronged\u201d approach. <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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What is the difference to mental illness?<\/h3>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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People with mental illness experience changes in their emotions, thoughts, or behavior. In contrast, physical symptoms are the primary focus in psychosomatic disorders. <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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Are there also combination forms?<\/h3>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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Combinations of physical, psychosomatic, and mental health issues are very common.<\/p>\n

For example, a patient may have a stomach ulcer caused by both stress and harmful stomach bacteria. Or a person may first experience psychosomatic symptoms for years due to stress, then suffer a heart attack, and finally become depressed. <\/p>\n

Almost all illnesses can be exacerbated by our environment. Modern psychosomatic medicine takes this into account and considers biological, psychological, and social factors alike. <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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What is the role of psychosomatic medicine?<\/h3>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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Many physical symptoms cannot be explained solely by organic or psychological factors. These symptoms can only be understood in terms of the interplay between the environment, one\u2019s state of well-being, body perception, and bodily functions. Psychosomatic medicine is the specialty that takes a holistic approach. <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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How does psychosomatic medicine work?<\/h3>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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William Osler, a key founder of modern medicine, said: \u201cThe good doctor treats the disease; the great doctor treats the patient who has the disease.\u201d<\/p>\n

Respect for the individual is at the heart of this approach. So, on the one hand, the doctor examines the body closely, but on the other hand, he or she also pays attention to how the patient is feeling overall. <\/p>\n

A health problem always involves both an objectively diagnosable illness and the subjective experience of suffering.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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What is the aim of psychosomatic treatment?<\/h3>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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An important aim of any treatment is for the person affected to recognize ways to help them have a positive impact on their own health. The aim is to alleviate the symptoms. Depending on the problem, several methods can be used simultaneously. <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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How do you become a doctor of psychosomatic medicine in Switzerland?<\/h3>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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The title in psychosomatic medicine is a state-registered, higher additional training. Only those who have completed both a medical degree and specialist training (FMH title) can complete this training. <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Medical Services in Switzerland<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

\n Doctors in my area<\/a>\n Clinics in Switzerland<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6095,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-4706","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sappm.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4706","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sappm.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sappm.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sappm.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sappm.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4706"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.sappm.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4706\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21634,"href":"https:\/\/www.sappm.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4706\/revisions\/21634"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sappm.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6095"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sappm.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4706"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}