“I do not want to go to school” becomes migraine, and “I am anxious about the exam” becomes nausea or insomnia. What parents need to know about adolescent somatization

Headaches, nausea or fatigue without an obvious medical cause can hide unseen emotional suffering. In adolescence, when emotions can often be overwhelming, somatization becomes the way the body requires help. The same somatization that occurs in the case of young children manifests itself differently in adolescence. Clinical psychologist Adriana Răuță, psychotherapist with training in Ericksonian psychotherapy and clinical hypnosisexplains how we can recognize these signals and how to support teenagers.

Adolescence is a period of complex transition, marked by major physical, emotional and social changes. In this context, somatization – manifesting emotional stress through physical symptoms – becomes a frequent reaction, but often difficult to understand for parents. Headaches, stomach, fatigue or recurrent dizziness, in the absence of a clear medical diagnosis, can signal deep emotional suffering.

What happens when we say that the teenager “somatize”

Somatization in adolescents is an important and often overlooked theme, especially because, at this stage, the border between “real” physical manifestations and those influenced by emotional states is harder to understand – even for careful parents.

In short, somatization is the process by which emotional or psychological stress is expressed by physical symptoms – headaches, stomach pain, nausea, fatigue, dizziness, etc. It does not mean that the teenager “pretends” – the symptoms are real, but they do not have a clear medical cause.

“The difference between a real pain and a somatization is the context in which it appears. If the symptoms appear after a conflict, before an exam, but disappear during holidays or in quiet periods, we can have a somatization situation,” explains Adriana Răuță, clinical psychologist and psychotherapist.

How we explain the emotional pain that becomes physical pain

It is important to understand that the teenager does not pretend. The suffering is real, but it has an emotional origin. Emotional pain can hurt physically and there are clear explanations for this from a medical and psychological point of view. The body and mind do not work separately. Intense emotions – especially stress, anxiety, sadness – activates the autonomous nervous system (the one that controls the automatic functions of the body: breathing, heartbeat, digestion, etc.). When a teenager suffers emotionally and cannot express or cannot regulate his experiences, the body happens in the body:

• increases the level of cortisol (stress hormone);
• The muscles are tense – Hence headaches, muscle pain;
• Digestion is changed – resulting in nausea, stomach pain, diarrhea or constipation;
• accelerates the heart and respiratory rhythmwhich can lead to dizziness, palpitations, choking sensation.

“The teenager does not pretend, but his suffering is emotional, and the parent or those around him would be good to observe the emotional state, even if it is not directly associated with physical symptoms,” says psychologist Adriana Răuță. Therefore, the pain is real, not invented. What differs from a classic physical disease is the cause: in somatization, the cause is emotional, not infectious or structural.

Is the somatization from childhood compared to that of adolescence?

Somatization also occurs in younger children, but in adolescence they gain distinct shades. In children, somatization is often a simple and direct response to stress or frustration, because they have not yet developed complex emotional expression skills.

In young childrensomatization is often “simple”: the child has a belly pain before kindergarten or a stressful event, in front of an unknown situation. He does not know or cannot express what he feels in words, so he feels with the body.

In teenagersthings are more complex. They can verbalize, but not always aware of what they feel. Sometimes they are ashamed, sometimes they do not want to look weak or do not understand why something happens to them. So the whole body is the one who speaks: “I do not want to go to school” becomes migraine, “I am anxious about the bac” becomes nausea or insomnia.

Does it occur more often in teenagers who verbalize states or all?

Somatization does not necessarily hold how much a teenager verbalizes, but by:

• How they manage their emotions – those who do not know What feel or what to do With what I feel, it somatizes easier.
• How safe do they feel talking to adults – If the adolescent feels that he will not be taken seriously, judged or pressed (“And does your belly hurt before the test?”), Will avoid talking and the body “will talk” for him.
• personality structure – Some adolescents are more sensitive to stress, have a more reactive nervous system and can somat even if they speak openly.

Thus, in adolescence, somatization is more sophisticated and loaded with internal conflicts. Adolescents begin to build their own identity, feel more intense social and academic pressures and become more aware of their public image. Adolescence is a period full of changes: bodily changes, social pressures, identity construction and adaptation to an ever -changing environment.

“It is the period of life when they learn to recognize and manage intense emotions,” says the psychologist. At the same time, many teenagers fail to put their emotions in words.

Somatization thus becomes “a way of asking for help in a language that requires a different listening,” says Adriana Răuță.

How does somatization manifest itself?

The most common symptoms include:

• Head or stomach pain without a medical cause;
• Nausea, dizziness, digestive disorders;
• Accentuated fatigue, insomnia;
• Palpitations, muscle or joint pain.

Sometimes the symptoms migrate: a headache can disappear and be replaced by a stomach pain. “In physical diseases, the pains remain constant on the level that manifests itself from the beginning. In somatization, the symptoms can migrate,” explains the psychologist to understand the difference.

What factors can emphasize somatization?

Frequent causes include:

• The lack of a developed emotional language;
• Perfectionism and fear of failure;
• Social or school pressures;
• Family instability (eg parents divorce).

How can parents help?

Psychologist Adriana Răuță emphasizes that it is essential for parents to truly listen to what the teenager express, without minimizing or judging. “The teenager needs to be listened to without being judged,” she explains. Sometimes, it may be useful to be encouraged to make a medical consultation, to exclude physical problems, or to be guided to observe the connection between the emotions lived and the appearance of the symptoms: “There is a management to a medical consultation or encouraging the adolescent to make the connection between emotions and body – in what situations those symptoms appear.

Also, Adriana Răuță recommends the involvement of the adolescent in pleasant activities, meant to reduce daily stress. “The introduction of activities that reduce the stress, who likes the teenager, can help him download his psychological tensions,” she explains.

“The adolescent's safety matrix is ​​the family. If the parents separate, the adolescent can summon to express the suffering of loss of emotional safety,” adds Adriana Răuță. In such cases, parents must be honest and assure the child that, regardless of the situation between them, his parents will remain and give him the necessary support, recommends the psychologist.

Parents' support is essential to prevent or diminish somatization. The confidence relationship, validating emotions and active support can help the teenager better manage their experiences and reduce their expression through physical symptoms. Here are some concrete intervention directions:

1. Take the symptoms seriously.
The most wrong thing is to minimize teen's complaints. “The teenager needs to be listened to without being judged,” the psychologist points out.

2. Notice the emotional context.
Try to understand in what times the symptoms appear. Are they related to school, friends, exams, conflicts?

3. Enter stress reduction activities.
Sport, favorite hobbies or simple relaxing outputs can help the teenager download psychological tensions.

4. Learn to make the connection between emotions and symptoms.
Encourage the teenager to notice what he feels before the symptoms appear. This awareness can reduce the impact of somatization.

When is a need for specialized help?

See a psychologist or psychotherapist if:

• Symptoms interfere significantly with daily activities;
• The teenager becomes withdrawn, apathetic or anxious;
• Somatization seizures are common and intense.

Psychotherapy can help him identify the emotions underlying the symptoms and develop internal resources to cope with stress. Also, “clinical hypnosis can be used in adolescents to cope with daily stress, to improve performance and to overcome anxiety and depression,” says Adriana Răuță. A successful case was a 16 -year -old teenager, who, using directed imaging and hypnotic induction techniques, managed to overcome his social phobia and reintegrate into small groups, says the psychologist.