How powerful is the mind? Here's an example...

Superman · Post by **Superman** » 2007-07-04 08:52pm

Pseudocyesis
Pseudocyesis (false pregnancy) is the development of the classic symptoms of pregnancy—amenorrhea, nausea, breast enlargement and pigmentation, abdominal distention (Fig. 30-2), and labor pains—in a nonpregnant woman. Pseudocyesis demonstrates the ability of the psyche to dominate the soma, probably via central input at the level of the hypothalamus. Predisposing psychological processes are thought to include a pathological wish for, and fear of, pregnancy; ambivalence or conflict regarding gender, sexuality, or childbearing; and a grief reaction to loss following a miscarriage, tubal ligation, or hysterectomy. The patient may have a true somatic delusion that is not subject to reality testing, but often a negative pregnancy test result or pelvic ultrasound scan leads to resolution. Psychotherapy is recommended during or after a presentation of pseudocyesis to evaluate and treat the underlying psychological dysfunction. A related event, couvade, occurs in some cultures in which the father of the child undergoes simulated labor, as though he were giving birth. In those societies couvade is a normal phenomenon.

Example:
Miss S, aged 16, thought she had become pregnant after her first coital experience, which occurred without contraception. Shortly after she read about the signs and symptoms of pregnancy, her menses stopped. She related that she felt tingling in her breasts, which she believed were enlarged. She also reported nausea and vomiting in the morning, which was observed by her mother. On examination, the uterus was enlarged, breasts were developed with dark areola and contained milk, and a pigmented line was observed from the umbilicus to the pubis. The abdomen was not enlarged, but she believed she felt fetal movement. A pregnancy test had negative results and the patient was so informed; however, she could not be dissuaded of her belief that she was pregnant. She entered psychotherapy, and within 2 months her menses returned and she accepted the fact that she was not pregnant.

Copied this from one of my online psychiatry textbook accounts.

Kuroneko · Post by **Kuroneko** » 2007-07-04 09:18pm

If there are any history buffs here, how well-documented is the case of Queen Mary I of England, and were false pregnancies known at the time?

Superman · Post by **Superman** » 2007-07-04 09:34pm

Kuroneko wrote:If there are any history buffs here, how well-documented is the case of Queen Mary I of England, and were false pregnancies known at the time?

Not sure how well this was known among physicians of the time; it didn't reach the clinical literature until Freud.

Vampiress_Miyu · Post by **Vampiress_Miyu** » 2007-07-05 05:37am

That's craziness... The human mind is such a strange contraption.

chitoryu12 · Post by **chitoryu12** » 2007-07-05 12:54pm

Electrochemical reactions buried in a several-pound lump of tissue, and yet it can mess with you body so easily. Think about hypochondriacs. They get so obsessed over a false sickness that they end up with the symptoms despite a lack of any infections.

Superman · Post by **Superman** » 2007-07-05 01:04pm

chitoryu12 wrote:Electrochemical reactions buried in a several-pound lump of tissue, and yet it can mess with you body so easily. Think about hypochondriacs. They get so obsessed over a false sickness that they end up with the symptoms despite a lack of any infections.

Right, there are entire volumes on illnesses of that nature (conversion disorders or somatic illnesses), and the truly fascinating aspect is how one's culture will literally shape how these maladapted underlying mental processes present themselves.

Rye · Post by **Rye** » 2007-07-05 02:03pm

Have there ever been any men that went through a false pregnancy?

The Guid · Post by **The Guid** » 2007-07-05 02:15pm

Kuroneko wrote:If there are any history buffs here, how well-documented is the case of Queen Mary I of England, and were false pregnancies known at the time?

The thing with Mary I was that she had a stomach growth that I believe was a form of cancer so whether it entirely equates I don't know.

PainRack · Post by **PainRack** » 2007-07-06 07:29am

The power of the human mind...
"I could feel the heat rays just missing me.......... I know its true, I heard Franklin Roosevelt on the radio."

War of the Worlds radio broadcast, and the mass hysteria that follows. Including folks who not only SAW tripods, but was attacked by them. To the extent that some of them exhibited injuries.

Mobiboros · Post by **Mobiboros** » 2007-07-06 01:34pm

Rye wrote:Have there ever been any men that went through a false pregnancy?

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Couvade

Yes, it's called Couvades Syndrome. What used to be called "Sympathetic Pregnancy". It ranges in a variety of symptoms from weight gain, to cramps, bloating, morning sickness, etc...

Astarial · Post by **Astarial** » 2007-07-06 03:45pm

Mobiboros wrote:
Rye wrote:Have there ever been any men that went through a false pregnancy?
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Couvade

Yes, it's called Couvades Syndrome. What used to be called "Sympathetic Pregnancy". It ranges in a variety of symptoms from weight gain, to cramps, bloating, morning sickness, etc...

There was an episode of House with that. >_>

chitoryu12 · Post by **chitoryu12** » 2007-07-06 11:33pm

Astarial wrote:
Mobiboros wrote:
Rye wrote:Have there ever been any men that went through a false pregnancy?
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Couvade

Yes, it's called Couvades Syndrome. What used to be called "Sympathetic Pregnancy". It ranges in a variety of symptoms from weight gain, to cramps, bloating, morning sickness, etc...
There was an episode of House with that. >_>

There was also a very creepy movie with the current governor of California.

Starglider · Post by **Starglider** » 2007-07-06 11:59pm

Why is this a 'power' and why is it so surprising? Only a hardcore dualist would be shocked to discover that the brain and body are intimately connected. That said, certain 'situated intelligence' fanatics (and their wholly unscientific 'holistic wellness' counterparts) read far to much into this.

Superman · Post by **Superman** » 2007-07-07 02:31am

Starglider wrote:Why is this a 'power' and why is it so surprising? Only a hardcore dualist would be shocked to discover that the brain and body are intimately connected. That said, certain 'situated intelligence' fanatics (and their wholly unscientific 'holistic wellness' counterparts) read far to much into this.

Speaking of reading far too much into things, I never said this was 'a power,' moron. Come on, do I need to clarify this? Jesus.

Lisa · Post by **Lisa** » 2007-07-07 03:32am

The Guid wrote:The thing with Mary I was that she had a stomach growth that I believe was a form of cancer so whether it entirely equates I don't know.

One might equate a child growing in the womb with that.... <jk>

Starglider · Post by **Starglider** » 2007-07-07 03:56am

Superman wrote:I never said this was 'a power,' moron. Come on, do I need to clarify this? Jesus.

Sorry, I shouldn't have implied that you were a member of the telepathic crystal healing fringe. Obviously there are plenty of fools who take anything psychosomatic as evidence of the miraculous mental powers dormant inside every human, which you too can unlock if you only spend $19.99 on their meditation videos and starter pack of energy crystals...

Superman · Post by **Superman** » 2007-07-07 04:17am

Starglider wrote:Sorry, I shouldn't have implied that you were a member of the telepathic crystal healing fringe. Obviously there are plenty of fools who take anything psychosomatic as evidence of the miraculous mental powers dormant inside every human, which you too can unlock if you only spend $19.99 on their meditation videos and starter pack of energy crystals...

You're right about that. It's too bad they don't tap into the dormant powers of their minds and levitate or meditate themselves into a mental hospital. Antipsychotic medications seem to work much better than crystals and herbs.

Nah, my point was that I've always found diseases with psychological origins to be interesting stuff, especially the more extreme variety.