(Five out of ten leading causes of disability around the world are mental health issues. As part of a series of articles leading up to World Health Day on 7 April, The Quint is focusing on raising awareness and mobilising support.)
Out of the 800 patients that Dr Manjari Tripathi, Professor Neurology, AIIMS, sees every month on an average, five to ten percent suffer from psychosomatic disorders, placing the number somewhere between 40-80 patients.
A psychosomatic disorder is any illness which has no definite physical or physiological cause, but instead is triggered by stress, anxiety or any other kind of mental conflict. Even though it stems in the brain, it’s manifestation is physical. It may take the form of minor conditions like skin problems, perpetual headache, unexplained pain in limbs, fatigue to name a few.
In more severe cases, the outcome could be signs of a stroke/paraplegia (lower body paralysis), pseudo-seizures or other movement disorders, Dr Manjari Tripathi points out.