Therapeutic approaches in psychosomatic medicine from a biopsychosocial perspective

Psychiatriki. 2021 May 28. doi: 10.22365/jpsych.2021.022. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTPsychosomatic medicine is an interdisciplinary field of medicine that focuses on the interaction of biological, psychological, social and behavioral factors in the genesis of a disorder. A key element of the psychosomatic view is the effect of stress on the homeostatic dysregulation and the consequent emergence of symptomatology. The fields of intervention in psychosomatic medicine include health behavior modifications, a general psychosomatic approach, psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy. Assessment strategies include the Diagnostic Criteria for Psychosomatic Research. Psychotherapeutic strategies, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, wellbeing therapy, mindfulness-based stress reduction as well as other therapeutic interventions, such as biofeedback, have several indications with regards to psychosomatic illnesses. According to various literature reports, most of these interventions have a positive effect on brain neuroplasticity and the reduction of allostatic load, often through epigenetic mechanisms. Psychotherapy has also been shown to bring on structural and functional changes to the brain through learning mechanisms and long-term potentiation (LPT). Epigenetic mechanisms may be potential targets of psychotherapeutic interventions. Psychopharmacology is also a frequently used intervention in the psychosomatic field. However, we should be aware of the fact that psychopharmacological i...
Source: Psychiatriki - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Source Type: research