Host: Anti-Aging Psychologist Dr. Michael Brickey

Guest:  Dr. David D. Clarke

Broadcast and podcast starting: June 22, 2009 on webtalkradio.net. After 6-29-09 the podcast is also on the links below

 

 Stress Illness: The Missed Diagnosis When Doctors Can’t Find Anything Wrong [56:43m]: Play NowDownload

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Every year millions of people go to their doctors with very real illness, see several specialists, go through endless tests only to be told, “We can’t find anything wrong with you.” Often the problem is caused by a illnesses largely ignored by medical schools-stress illnesses. Today Dr. David Clarke shares with us how to recognize stress illnesses and what to do about them.

The problem isn’t that therapists don’t know how to deal with childhood issues, stress, PTSD, depression, and anxiety. The problem is that patients with stress illnesses go to their physicians or emergency rooms with real illnesses. The physicians focus on physical causes and have little training in psychological causes. When the tests find nothing, most just keep looking or refer to a specialist. Few of these patients would go directly to a psychologist but even if they did, many psychologists, since they haven’t had training in dealing with patients who present with ostensibly physical illnesses, would be distracted by or intimidated by the physical illnesses.

Thus, the patients go on a wild goose chase and the problems persist for years-possibly even a lifetime. I would try to come up with a statistic like half of all doctor visits are stress related, but that is an artificial statistic as stress and physical causes are usually co-conspirators in illnesses. The good news is that most psychologists and mental health professionals are very familiar with how to treat stress illnesses, including those arising from lousy childhoods or trauma.

Dr. Clarke’s book, They Can’t Find Anything Wrong, and the training he is doing is sorely needed. It would help if doctors put some stress related questions on their screening histories. Medicine is very protocol driven. If medical decision trees say refer to a psychologist or other qualified mental health professional when the usual tests for the presenting problem aren’t finding anything wrong, many of these patients would get the help they need.

The ultimate solution would be to have a psychologist in every primary care physician’s office and many specialist’s offices as well. The doctor could walk over and introduce the patient to the psychologist or mental health professional and make an appointment. That can be especially important to grease the path since many of these patients are probably reluctant to see their illness as having a psychological cause. I note the American Psychological Association is increasingly advocating for psychologists to be in primary care physician’s offices. The Ageless Lifestyles® show with cardiologist Dr. Joel Okner and cardiopsychologist Dr. Jeremy Clorfene provides an excellent illustration of how this can work in a specialty practice as well.

When children grow up in dysfunctional families, they often make decisions at a very young age about what script to follow. Some act out. Some develop abysmal self-esteem and become physical or emotional punching bags. Some turn to alcohol or drugs. Some become junior social workers trying to please everyone and avoid conflict or strife. Some have to sacrifice their childhoods and parent parents or sibs. Many try to cope by being perfect. Thus, many patients whose stress illness had childhood origins seem so responsible and effective that few suspect anything is wrong psychologically.

To recap the solution Dr. Clarke recommends, the first two steps are diagnostic-first, consider stress as a possible cause and second, search for sources and connections. Creating a stress inventory and periodically adding to the list can help. Then it is on to seeking whatever solution or therapy will be more helpful. Some of the strategies Dr. Clarke especially likes include giving yourself permission to play, scheduling time for yourself, writing letters, observing children and imagining them experiencing the stresses, time-limited support groups, and becoming the person you always wanted to be. I especially like the becoming the person you always wanted to be as the goal shouldn’t be just the absence of headaches, backaches, stomach aches and the like, but having a wonderful life.

Dr. Clarke’s fascinating book is in layman’s language, very readable, and a bargain at only $16.95.

Dr. Clarke’s website is www.stressillness.com. Dr. Brickey’s other websites are www.DrBrickey.com and www.Anti-Aging-Speaker.com.