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Psychogenic Symptoms That Co-Exist With Bipolar Disorder


 Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Headaches
Sleep Problems
Breathing Problems
Fibromyalgia (Fake Arthritis)
Skin Problems
Jaw Problems

A psychogenic symptom is a real pain or medical problem that is triggered partly or even wholly by stress. Most psychogenic symptoms stem from inherited tendencies. Perhaps one of your parents has (had) migraines; therefore you have them. The other parent has insomnia problems; you have them too.

But researchers have found that, on average, people born with bipolar disorder get certain psychogenic symptoms more often than the general population. Translation: if you are bipolar, you are a little bit more likely to have headaches, insomnia, arthritis, and possibly other stress-related symptoms than people who were not born with the bipolar complex. So, sometimes, taking mood stabilizers not only stabilizes bipolars' moods but also treats one or more of our psychogenic symptoms.

"Co-exist" means "may be accompanied by". For example, bipolar disorder may be accompanied by migraines. That means that, if you are bipolar, you may have migraines. Chances are that you will not have migraines (unless one of your parents does), but bipolars are a little more likely to have them than non-bipolars.

Psychogenic symptoms are not "all in your head"; they are real. Often, if your particular mood stabilizer doesn't relieve the pain of these symptoms, acetaminophen or ibuprofen will do it, just as these medicines relieve the pain of non-psychogenic symptoms.

Important: If the symptoms below do not decrease when your stress level decreases, they may not be psychogenic in your case. If acetaminophen or ibuprophen don't work either, see your doctor.

But it is commonly known that bipolar disorder causes a great deal of stress. This stress can be expected to cause medical problems. And, sure enough, the research shows that people diagnosed with bipolar disorder may have the following problems as well:

Irritable bowel syndrome

Diarrhea and/or constipation (sometimes both alternately)

Flatulence

Abdominal pain

Nausea

False hunger pains

Increased likelihood of developing lactose intolerance


Headaches

Migraine headaches

Muscle-tension headaches


Sleep Problems

Frequent awakening

Severe difficulty getting back to sleep

A remedy that worked for me


 Other stress-related symptoms

Since the following conditions can also be psychogenic, many psychiatrists believe that they co-exist with bipolar disorder as well, although they have not yet been adequately researched:

Stress-related shallow breathing, which causes intake of air into the stomach. This air (gas) often triggers: 

  1. gastric pain
  2. hiccups
  3. belching
  4. nausea

A remedy that worked for me


Fibromyalgia (I call this "Fake Arthritis")

A common condition characterized by widespread pain in joints, muscles, tendons, and other soft tissues. Symptoms:

  • Fatigue
  • Stiff muscles
  • Sleep problems
  • Headaches
  • Numbness in hands and feet
  • Chronic neck or back pain
  • The exact locations of the pain are called tender points. Tender points (localized tender areas of the body that can bring on widespread pain and muscle spasm when touched) are found in the soft tissue on the back of the neck, the elbows, shoulders, buttocks, chest, lower back, hips, shins, and knees.
  • You might wake up with body aches and stiffness. For some patients, pain improves during the day and increases again during the evening, though many patients have day-long, non-stop pain.
  • Pain can increase with activity, cold or damp weather, anxiety, and stress.

How can you tell fibromyalgia from real arthritis (osteoarthritis)? Get an Xray or MRI scan. If bone spurs or other physical signs of osteoarthritis show up, you know you have it. If you have no physical evidence of osteoarthritis, and you have many of the symptoms above, you probably have fibromyalgia.

Remedies that sort-of worked for me (This is a tough one.)

Skin problems:

  1. Itching for no apparent reason. (Slather lotion on after you shower.)
  2. Hives, usually on the neck and face. (Touching hives makes them itch more. Try applying ice instead.)

Bruxism (teeth clenching and grinding during the day or night), which causes:

  1. cracks in the teeth, necessitating root canals and crowns
  2. jaw pain
  3. headaches

The above articles, and all linked articles, were written by Jean M. Bradt, Ph.D.

Remedies that worked for me

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