Taking the symptoms seriously
Treatment starts from the position that the symptoms are real and the distress is warranted. It does not start from an argument about whether they exist.
Sexual & Psychosomatic Health
Somatic symptom treatment in Guntur
Some people live with physical symptoms that are genuinely distressing and disabling, and that repeated investigations do not fully explain. The first thing to say is that the symptoms are real. The second is that there is a recognised, treatable pattern here.
Overview
What is somatic symptom disorder?
Somatic symptom disorder is not a diagnosis of exclusion and it does not mean the symptoms are imagined or deliberate. It describes a situation in which physical symptoms — pain, fatigue, giddiness, palpitations, breathlessness, digestive trouble — are accompanied by disproportionate worry, time and energy spent on them, and a substantial effect on daily life.
A person can have a diagnosed physical illness and this pattern at the same time; the two are not alternatives. The usual course is years of tests, several opinions, mounting cost and mounting anxiety, with each normal result reassuring briefly and then fuelling the search for the next explanation. The aim of treatment is not to prove the symptoms wrong, but to reduce the distress and disability that have grown around them.
Symptoms
Signs and symptoms
This is a description, not a checklist to diagnose yourself with. Most people will recognise something here at some point. What matters clinically is how many are present, how long they have lasted and how much they are affecting daily life — which is what an assessment is for.
- Physical symptoms that persist despite normal investigations
- Substantial time and thought given to the symptoms
- High anxiety about what they might mean
- Repeated consultations, tests or second opinions
- Brief reassurance after a normal result, then renewed worry
- Checking the body frequently, or searching online for explanations
- Reduced activity, work or social life because of the symptoms
- Frustration at feeling disbelieved by doctors or family
- Low mood, poor sleep or anxiety alongside
When to seek help
When to consult a psychiatrist
There is no threshold you have to cross before asking. These are the situations where an assessment is usually worth arranging rather than waiting.
- Symptoms have persisted for months despite investigation
- Worry about health is taking up a large part of the day
- You are seeking repeated tests or opinions and none has settled it
- Work, study or social life has narrowed because of the symptoms
- Low mood or anxiety has developed alongside
- Any new, changing or worsening symptom — have that examined medically first
Treatment
Treatment and management
What follows depends entirely on the assessment. Nothing below is a treatment plan, and no page can produce one without seeing the individual.
A single coordinating doctor
One clinician holding the overall picture, with planned review rather than investigation driven by each new worry, reduces both anxiety and cost. Fragmented care tends to make this pattern worse.
Explaining the mechanism
How attention, anxiety and the nervous system amplify physical sensation is a genuine physiological account, not a polite way of saying the symptoms are imaginary. Most people find it a relief to have one that fits.
Cognitive behavioural therapy
The best-evidenced psychological treatment here. It works on the checking, the reassurance-seeking and the interpretations that keep the cycle turning.
Restoring function
Graded return to activity, work and social life, planned rather than waiting for the symptoms to disappear first.
Treating mood and anxiety
Depression and anxiety are common alongside and treatable, and treating them usually reduces the physical distress as well.
This page names no medicines and no doses, and makes no promise about how long anything takes. Screening questionnaires, where they are used, are aids to an assessment rather than diagnostic tests.
Therapies
Approaches that may form part of treatment
Talking and behavioural approaches are part of the picture for many people — sometimes on their own, sometimes alongside medication. Which of these is suitable, and whether it is provided here or through a referral, is decided in the consultation.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
A structured, practical talking therapy that looks at the link between thoughts, feelings and behaviour, and at the patterns that keep a difficulty going.
About this therapy
Stress Management
Stress Management
Practical training in relaxation, breathing, routine and workload strategies.
About this therapy
Psychoeducation
Psychoeducation
Structured explanation of the condition, its course, the treatment options and the early warning signs, given to the patient and usually to family too.
About this therapy
Supportive Psychotherapy
Supportive Psychotherapy
Regular sessions focused on emotional support, problem-solving and maintaining day-to-day functioning, rather than on a specific technique.
About this therapy
Behavioural Therapy
Behavioural Therapy
Approaches that change what a person does rather than working first on thoughts — for example gradually re-engaging with avoided activities or situations.
About this therapy
Family Therapy
Family Therapy
Sessions involving family members alongside the patient, looking at how a difficulty affects the household and how the household can support recovery.
About this therapyQuestions
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about somatic symptom disorder and what to expect from a consultation at Maruthi Hospital and Diagnostics, Guntur.
Are you saying it is all in my head?
No. The symptoms are real and are experienced physically. What this diagnosis describes is the distress and disability that have built up around them, and that part is treatable.
What if the doctors have missed something?
That possibility is taken seriously, which is why any new, changing or worsening symptom is examined medically. What treatment changes is the cycle of repeated investigation for symptoms that have already been thoroughly assessed.
Will I be told to stop seeing other doctors?
No. What is usually suggested is that one doctor coordinates, so that care is planned rather than driven by each new worry — which tends to reduce both anxiety and expense.
Appointments
Talk to a psychiatrist about this
Dr. Manchikalapudi Tirumala Babu consults at Maruthi Hospital and Diagnostics, Guntur. Call the clinic to discuss your concerns and request an appointment.
Consulting hours are Monday to Saturday, 6:00–9:00 PM, by appointment. This website does not confirm bookings on its own — the clinic confirms a time with you.