Physical Complaints

The nineteenth century biologist Charles Darwin, author of The Origin of Species, suffered from multiple physical complaints for most of his adult years. A relatively wealthy man, the entire household revolved around his varying states of health. Appointments were made to accommodate his 'frail condition'. He often complained of number fingertips, digestive problems and insomnia. Many evenings, he vomited shortly after dinner. He saw himself as a semi-invalid. In his later years, many of his symptoms subsided. He lived to the age of 73, and there appears to have been no organic basis for his various complaints.

There are two general sources of physical complaints:
1. the organic, or biological, domain and
2. the psychological, or behavioural, domain.

Physical complaints arising from the psychological domain are presumed to be due to mental and emotional conflicts or maladaptive habits and are said to be psychogenic. Another term applied to such complaints is functional and this will be discussed here.

Signs and symptoms associated with physical complaints of a functional nature include the following:

• the conviction that one is frail and suffers from poor overall health
• stomach and digestive disturbances
• various aches and pains
• disturbances in the sense of touch
• irregular heartbeat
• irrational worry about one's health
• imaginary disorders
• fatigue
• sexual difficulties

The above items merit comment. The conviction that one is frail and suffers from poor overall health is a concept, an idea in the mind, in the case of psychogenic complaints. Stomach and digestive disturbances include the conviction that one has too much gas, that flatulence cannot be controlled, that one is constipated, frequent nausea and so forth. Various aches and pains in the muscles and joints are often associated with the notion that one has a muscle-wasting disease or rheumatoid arthritis. It is important to stress here that the aches and pains are real to the sufferer. They are actually felt and cause perceived discomfort.

Examples of disturbances in the sense of touch include tingling, numbness or heat in the fingers or toes. The clinical name for this condition is paresthesia. Irregular heartbeat includes palpitations and tachycardia. Such symptoms can and do occur in the absence of underlying heart disease.

It is common in persons who suffer from psychogenic complaints to develop excessive worry about their health. This is known as hypochondria. The person who suffers from hypochondria takes a small sign or symptom and magnifies it. A headache suggests the possiblity of brain cancer. Blurred vision foreshadows blindness. Victims of hypochondriasis recognize that their fears are irrational, but they feel helpless to control them.

Imaginary disorders often show up as false neurological impairments. These frequently involve problems in vision, hearing, the sense of touch, and movement (eg. the ability to walk). Complete blindness, deafness or paralysis is not at all unusual. The traditional name for this condition is hysteria. It is considered outdated today because the term was originally applied to women only. The contemporary name for the condition described in this paragraph is conversion disorder, the idea here being that anxiety has been converted into a bodily symptom.

Fatigue is one of the most common symptoms associated with psychogenic physical complaints. The individual says,"I have no energy -- no get up and go. I drag myself through the day. I seem to always be exhausted. It's all I can do to meet my minimum responsibilities."

Sexual difficulties include problems such as inability to become excited, inability to reach an orgasm even if excited, inability in males to maintain an erection adequate for intercourse, and painful intercourse.