In The Guardian, a neurologist reflects on a slew of psychiatric disorders that fall under the general rubric of “psychosomatic illnesses” such as spontaneous blindness, seizures and paralysis. “Were they faking it, or was the mind playing tricks?”
In Mind Hacks, Vaughan Bell discusses some of the differences detected in these conditions and more commonly understood physical conditions, and comments, “Unfortunately, these problems have also been traditionally stigmatised within medicine with people affected by them sometimes treated as fakers or time-wasters. Similarly, to patients, the problems often feel as if ‘something has gone wrong with their bodies’ meaning it can be difficult to hear that the origin may be psychological – partly of course, due to the common misconception that ‘psychological’ means ‘under your control’.”
‘You think I’m mad?’ – the truth about psychosomatic illness (The Guardian, May 16, 2015)
A less hysterical reaction (Mind Hacks, May 16, 2015)
