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For clarification, any patient has been told their pain "is psychological", I'm always so sorry knowing that.
The phrase is used to mean "it's not my problem, get out" or "i can't help you." It's frustrating to see "psychological" used this way.
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The phrase is used to mean "it's not my problem, get out" or "i can't help you." It's frustrating to see "psychological" used this way.
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"It's in your head" becomes "you're crazy" "you're wrong" "you're weak" or something else awful. That language, used that way, is awful and inappropriate.
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The deception, however, is the separation of the physical body and the brain, which is part of our physical body.
As someone who cares a lot about brains, and have worked with many people who have brain problems. They get this message routinely.
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As someone who cares a lot about brains, and have worked with many people who have brain problems. They get this message routinely.
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As soon as health professionals, who are under-educated and siloed from mental health, psychology, brain function, and even sometimes empathy, think "psychological", they believe "this isn't for me", or "I can't do this" or "they don't need a doctor, they need a psychologist."
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It's wrong, and it should never happen. The truth is, our entire experience is in our brain.
Our brain doesn't make a heart attack occur, but it is a part of the perception, pain, and recovery of a heart attack.
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Our brain doesn't make a heart attack occur, but it is a part of the perception, pain, and recovery of a heart attack.
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Our brain doesn't cause a bone to be broken, but different brains process broken bones differently, and motivation in rehabilitation, the processing of a new hindrance in our life, and the literal trauma of injury are all processed in our brain.
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I understand why the "its psychological" phrase is hated amongst people with chronic pain; their stories of being dismissed, rejected, accused, and stigmatized are real, and I see the effects of this regularly, in my capacity as a psychiatrist.
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I guess I wanted to post this little tweet thread to express my frustration that the true source of the stigma, which is the brain/body dichotomy. The blood brain barrier exists, but our experience of everything is gated through our brain.
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I wish "it's psychological" was delivered in a way that didn't shame, reject, or accuse, or stigmatize. I know it's not, but I wish it was. But as a brain doctor, I wish that medical professionals would not put people into buckets of "medical" or "psychological."
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