Show wi D Doctor lays U ra raThe Th The following b u J one ou of 01 a CI suits of 0 articles written written b by members of J. J Ih the Ut Utah h S State a Medical d cal Asso Association i tion and publishes publisher in co cooperation p a ion with wih your our youri loal Th These s newspaper er articles i are scheduled j to appear appeal every other week throughout the year in an effort to 10 better acquaint wit with you problems o of 01 f heal and rid d designed to improve the well being of 01 the people of 01 Utah NERVOUS AND EMOTIONAL ILLNESS ILLNESS' Despite Despi how we may differ t in in Bother other l 1 ways al all of u us as human nave wave one tam thing in common ly a day goes goes' by y that does docs not bring some situation which h re requires re- re Ii quires emotional control Usually I when we are adult we can an handle most of these without undue dif dif- Occasionally however an exceptionally troublesome problem Irises or several smaller ones hit us at at aton on once and we show symptoms of emotional distress We handle these problems in the best way be to us in view of our personality personality per per- and previous experience Nature has given iVen us the response of ot fe fear r for the Rood good purpose of aler alerting us to danger an er so that we I I can oe De prepared to meet it and defend de de- de fend ourselves from it In civilized civilize d t society however many of th the e thin things s. s we worry about are so in in- in tm tangible that it is difficult to pu put t our fin finger cr on on them handle them and stop the fear response We may mav worry about our jobs ou our r ability to make friends our ability to be good parents or marria marriage e partners our relationships with people who are important to us or our ability to handle the stron strong emotions which are seething inside of ot us Under emotional stress some som people experience pure fear a accompanied com com- by a pounding heart per r hands and a feeling of ot im im- impending pending catastrophe Some people o develop te phobic or unrealistic fears in m an an attempt attempt to their ety j or r become becom a P prey y to recurrent recurrent recur- recur rent f 5 disturbing thou thoughts which extend ex ex- tend rend themselves 0 0 o such a degree ee 1 that they dominate much of the waking hours Some people attempt at attempt at- at tempt to pull away into a a world of their own which is free fr from m disturbing dis dis- factors Many people de develop develop develop de- de physical symptoms Sometimes Sometimes Some Some- times th these s s s. s involve the of emotions and an organ of the body which results in structural damage to the organ asis as is th the case case i iri iii 1 peptic ulcers Sucha Such a a disease is best handled by a two pronged tre treatment involving both I general ni medical aid id arid and an attempt attempt at at- at tempt to lessen emotional I pressure by the general physician or or by psychiatric treatment There are many people who convert con cori- con convert vert or turn an n em emotion emption into a a. physical sy symptom in a i w way y which involves es n no organic changes changes' at atan an all alii When a person blushes for in instance instance instance in- in stance he converts an an emotion of embarrassment or or t f 11 in e physical al flushing of of u the skin Yet et no matter how many times a day he may blush no organic organic- changes take place in his skin or circulatory circulatory tory system Probably no group of people is so bewildered over over their symptoms as an the group that that- ex- ex pre ses emotional tension by developing developing devel devel- developing p ph physical h y si c a 1 manifestations which do not result in structural damage to the organ They ex experience experience experience ex- ex ex- ex acute or persistent pain in in some area of the body After a 3 thorough h examination their physician phy phy- tells them that they are in good phy ica ical health and that there is no organic reason for the- the t symptoms He may add that the thet illness is functional that is that the trouble is ii it the way the organ is is working not il in the organ itself This Thi may be perplexing to the pa- pa pa pa- tient It is hard hare for him hini to believe belie that what is felt as ass physical pain may co CJ coe e e a from emotional causes and he feel he is being told that it is all aU in hit hii head or that his Pain pain is imaginary Any time pain is felt it is real realand realand realand and pain induced by emotional l tension can be just as severe as that brought about by organic ill illness ill ill- ness However since the cause is is diff different r nt the treatment is also dif dif- ferent With persistence e of symptoms symptoms' symptoms symptoms' toms toms' of ot this type then psychiatric treatment nt may be the the medical treatment of choice This is 18 the process of ot reorganizing the emotional emo emo- emotional life m so that better ways ways' can be found to meet the thc stresses and strains of ot living |