Abdominal pain and psychology

[MomtoGiuliana]

I just got irritated when I read this, so I am posting it! For one thing, this is a VERY small study -- only 23 children. I am sure that psychological problems can be related to GI issues. The problem is that stories like this only fuel the mainstream notion in the medical community that, if all conventional testing comes back normal, the patient probably has a psychological problem.

I would like to know more about the 2 children who did not get better after psychological care! 2 out of 13 is 15%--and with such a small sample this is associated with a huge error range.

Hopefully someday soon Reuters will carry a story about the surprising prevalence of an unheard of disorder called autonomic dysfunction!

Katherine

Pushy Parents May Be Harmful for Kids' Health

LONDON (Reuters) - Pushy parents could be doing more harm than good to their children's health, researchers said in a study released on Tuesday. Well-meaning parents insisting on batteries of tests for their children, even though their ailment has no apparent physical cause, may not be acting in their best interest.

"A culture of parental consumerism in healthcare, however well intentioned, needs to be accompanied by robust systems to protect the interests of the child," said Dr. Keith Lindley of the Institute of Child Health and Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children.

He and his colleagues analyzed 23 children who had severe abdominal pain and had been referred to the hospital between 1997 and 2001.

All had been given routine tests to find the cause of the problem without any success. More than half of the youngsters, whose average age was 14, had already seen other doctors.

Although psychological factors can play a role in severe abdominal pain, only 13 families agreed to have their children referred to psychological services, according to the study reported in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.

Eleven children who received psychological support got better and resumed their normal activities within a year. Only 3 children of the 10 families that refused psychological help improved.

[persephone]

This makes me so cross,and it is a typical British view. No one here knows about POTS- Professor Mathias is just about the only person who understands what it is.

I've been stuck with POTS for years and have only had a diagnosis in the last two months--up until this point they were telling me that fainting was in my head- despite the face that my SATS go down to 70%, my BP is unreadable when I stand and my pulse can shoot to 220!

Even in the hospitals I've visited (alhtough I exclude the most recent one from this, as they were very good) they told me that machines are never wrong--of course, now I know that I can have attacks that pass before the machine is able to read what's happening.

I just thank GOD that I found this site and came across info about POTS- they were referring me to a neuropsychiatrist who deals in unexplained physical symptoms when I came across POTSplace. Where would I be now? I was angry enough to research and find out what was wrong with my body. There must be loads of other people out there who aren't/weren't, and have ended up being treated as if they have a psychiatric illness. It makes me so angry that people are treated like this.

I was also told two years ago that terrible abdominal pains I experienced after eating wheat, yeast and dairy products were psychological, but now I know that food intolerances are part of dysautonomia, as are general digestive problems. Why do doctors constantly let us down?

I often think that in Britain a lot of the problem is in the NHS- the fact that you don't pay directly for your consultation means you have no rights- you have to accept what you're given. whereas if you pay, then you can demand a certain level of service. Perhaps that's why POTS is more widely understood in the States? Seriously guys, I've come across doctors, paramedics and Accident and Emergency Dept consultants who've nevre heard of POTS or evn dysautonomia! It's so frustrating.