An inseparable unit
Our he althcare system makes a strict distinction between physical and mental illnesses. However, current research results remove the basis for this dualism.
Samira M. is in pain. One morning her back hurts so much that she can hardly get out of bed. When the symptoms didn't subside even after a few days, the 27-year-old laboratory assistant was certain: A herniated disc must be behind it, or at least a blocked vertebra. But the X-ray that your orthopedist takes doesn't show anything abnormal.
Samira is not alone with her complaints. Around 85 percent of Germans suffer from back pain at least once in their lives - and in most cases no tangible trigger can be found. This also applies to many other clinical pictures: In more than a third of the symptoms with which patients visit their family doctor, the exact cause remains a mystery. They are labeled "psychosomatic," "functional," or "somatoform"-as only apparently physical.
Pain, dizziness or tiredness often disappear after a short time. In some cases, however, they become chronic and cause significant suffering. Those affected are often very insecure if they cannot find an explanation for their all too real problem. When Samira started having knee pain after a few weeks, the symptoms increasingly determined her everyday life. On her odyssey from specialist to specialist, she keeps hearing phrases like "You shouldn't really be in that much pain" and "Are you sure you're not just imagining it all?" With every visit to the doctor, the hope of healing dwindles a little more."People met me at a loss or even indifferent. According to the motto: not my area of expertise, not my problem." …
