Physical illness can be caused by emotional and psychological factors. Although traditional medicine focused on physical diseases, the contributions of Freud with his levels of consciousness, Pavlov and conditioned responses, and Cannon with his explanation of the fight-or-flight nervous system response introduced psychological factors and the notion of psychosomatic illnesses.

What is a Psychosomatic Illness?
The term 'psychosomatic illness' is most widely used to explain a physical illness with a known psychological cause, or at least which is significantly influenced by psychological factors. Many medical professionals acknowledge the influence of emotional factors in heart attack, hypertension, heart disease, stomach ulcers, asthma, eczema, and some other skin complaints. Even those who aren't convinced of a causal role would acknowledge that emotional responses will exacerbate symptoms of these physical problems.          

There is a relationship between psychological factors, physical illness and accidents. For example, people who drink too much are more likely to be involved in road accidents. People who smoke and get lung cancer often have underlying emotional problems which cause them to smoke too much. Young men tend to be more aggressive than older men and are more likely to have accidents and injuries - they account for a higher percentage of road fatalities than other age and gender groups. People who struggle to control their body weight for psychological reasons are at higher risk of coronary heart disease and type II diabetes.

Stress Associated with Physical Conditions
When we feel ill, we are not likely to be at our healthiest mentally either. Being ill can make us tired, frustrated, grumpy, angry, sad, anxious and depressed.  Physical illnesses can affect our work, relationships, how we socialise, study and behave. The more serious the illness, the more impact it will have upon our lives.   It can even stop us doing the things we usually do in our daily lives.
 
A person may be more likely to experience depression and anxiety when they are physically ill if –

• They are female (women report more depression and anxiety than men)
• They are in a lot of pain
• Their illness is life threatening or terminal
• They have been anxious or depressed before
• They have no one to talk to about how they feel
• They have lost their independence because of their illness.

For example, we have already seen the link between stress and the immune system with the Kiecolt-Glaser experiment, which looked at a short term suppression of the immune system due to exam stress. But in some cases, the body may suffer chronic suppression of the immune system, which can make the person very vulnerable to disease and infection.  AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is a good example of this, as the suppressed immune system leaves the person vulnerable to illness. If they are also stressed, this can also have an impact, leading to more frequent illness and infection.  

Relaxation Fights Illness

Making time to relax is critical to minimizing the chance of illness. It isn't just a matter of stopping and doing nothing though. If you are stressed doing nothing; and worrying about getting back to work (or something else); the whole value of "rest" is lost. It is critical that people develop a "relaxation" mindset. When your mental state accepts relaxation then it becomes effective rest!