Laryngitis is a common disease in childhood, and adults often suffer from it. Of all throat diseases, laryngitis is the most dangerous, especially for children, because it can be complicated by croup - a narrowing of the larynx, as a result of which breathing will be extremely difficult or impossible.
Letreatment of the disease should be accurate, timely, but if supplemented with psychological help, it will become more effective. In this article, we will talk about what psychosomatic causes laryngitis can have.
General information about the disease
Laryngitis is an inflammatory process of the laryngeal membranes, into which the vocal cords are also "drawn". It is believed that laryngitis can develop with a cold or during an infectious disease. Inflammation of the larynx is facilitated by hypothermia, inhalation through the mouth, excessive tension in the larynx, if you have to scream a lot and loudly.
Laryngitis is manifested by hoarseness, the sick person can even completely lose the ability to speak. The throat feels dry, sore. The cough is dry and unproductive, barking. It becomes difficult and painful to swallow.
As part of the treatment, the patient is prescribed a mode of silence, he should speak as little as possible. Even a whisper is dangerous, since it loads the vocal cords no less than loud speech.
Oil inhalations are useful; spicy and salty foods are limited in the diet, so as not to further irritate the inflamed larynx. For severe laryngitis, antihistamines may be prescribed to reduce swelling.
False croup (stenosing laryngotracheitis) occurs only in children, since their larynx is naturally narrower. In the absence of emergency qualified medical care, the child may die from asphyxiation.
Psychosomatic causes in adults
Psychosomatics studies the psychology of the disease and can answer the question of what factors of this kind could lead to the development of the disease. Laryngitis is not always caused only by bacteria or viruses. Sometimes there are no apparent reasons for inflammation of the larynx, and the voice disappears, it becomes painful to swallow. In this case, they speak of psychogenic laryngitis.
The larynx in psychosomatics is an organ that allows a person to reproduce sounds, express their thoughts and feelings. All diseases of the larynx are a sign that a person forbids himself to express something or cannot express it out of fear. Most often, laryngitis begins in those who do not risk voicing their negative emotions: anger, irritation, resentment. These emotions and words "accumulate", settle in the throat, which in the end leads to an inflammatory process and swelling.
If a person forbids himself to say what he feels for a long time, a real physiological limitation of the ability to speak occurs on a subconscious level - the vocal cords swell.
Adults and adolescents have another reason: a sense of guilt and anger at themselves for not keeping a secret, letting someone out about something. If this anger is strong enough, the larynx will become inflamed, the voice will disappear for a while.
Features of children's psychogenic laryngitis
In children and adolescents, the disease can begin if the child is not very confident in himself, is afraid of public speaking, his voice begins to tremble and "break" from excitement. It is always more difficult for children to express their feelings and emotions. At an early age, there are not enough words for this; in adolescence, the fear of not being accepted or understood interferes.
A special risk group is made up of children who are accustomed to "swallow" words when speaking, with fuzzy diction. They feel constant insecurity and shyness. They find it difficult not only to tell someone the truth directly, but also to answer themselves to some important questions.
There are children who have never had laryngitis, and there are babies who suffer from it in a chronic form. They lose their voice several times a year, as scheduled.
The psychosomatic reason here most often lies in the parental prohibition to speak. Pay attention to how often mothers pull their children in transport or in the store. The child wants to share his impressions of the bird he has seen, and his mother persistently persuades him to “keep his mouth shut,” because this is inappropriate, indecent.
Gradually, a block is formed in the child's psyche, which prevents the expression of his emotions.
Treatment and prevention
Prevention of throat diseases in general and laryngitis, in particular, should be dealt with from childhood. This is the responsibility of the parents. It is important to teach the child as early as possible to express their emotions, to speak sincerely and frankly, without looking back at what others might think about it.
Openness and honesty are character traits that have always been valued, honest people are worthy of respect.
When treating laryngitis, it is important to follow all the doctor's recommendations. But it is necessary to remember exactly which emotions and unspoken words "stuck in the throat" shortly before the onset of the disease. After the edema subsides, it is imperative to speak them out, express them. This will help prevent the disease from becoming chronic.
You should talk with the child, try to find out what exactly he is keeping quiet, why he is afraid to talk about his painful things out loud. If the reason is that he is simply afraid to tell his parents his problems, you should think about improving and strengthening family ties, about increasing the level of trust between adults and the child.
Joint leisure, a common hobby, a more attentive attitude to each other will help.
