Amplification (psychology)
Amplification is to amplify physical symptoms based on psychological factors such as anxiety or depression: "somatosensory amplification refers to the tendency to experience somatic sensation as intense, noxious, and disturbing. What may be a minor 'twinge' or mild 'sorenes' to the stoic, is a severe, consuming pain to the amplifier."[1]
Psychological state has been documented to effect the course of upper respiratory tract infection,[2][3] post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome,[4] and musculoskeletal pain.[5]
Amplification is not recognized by the American Psychiatric Association.
The Somatosensory Amplification Scale (SAS) has been validated to measure amplification.[1] The scale contains four items measured with a 5 item Likert scale:
- Sudden loud noises really disturb me
- I'm very uncomfortable when I'm in a place that is too hot or too cold
- I can't stand pain as well as most people can
- I find I'm often aware of various things happening in my body
- I'm quick to sense the hunger contractions in my stomach
Amplification is related to alexithymia. Amplification may also contribute to multiple-drug intolerance (if the adverse effects that are reported are non-specific).[6]
Type A personality and depression may be risk factors for amplification:
- Type A personality trait may be associated with delayed recovery after organic illness.[7][8]
- People with premorbid abnormal scores on the Depression and Morale-Loss subscales of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Index (MMPI) have delayed recovery of future respiratory tract infections.[2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Barsky AJ, Goodson JD, Lane RS, Cleary PD (1988). "The amplification of somatic symptoms". Psychosomatic medicine 50 (5): 510-9. PMID 3186894. [e]
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Imboden JB, Canter A, Cluff LE (1961). "Convalescence from influenza. A study of the psychological and clinical determinants". Arch. Intern. Med. 108: 393-9. PMID 13717585. [e]
- ↑ Lane RS, Barsky AJ, Goodson JD (1988). "Discomfort and disability in upper respiratory tract infection". Journal of general internal medicine : official journal of the Society for Research and Education in Primary Care Internal Medicine 3 (6): 540-6. DOI:10.1007/BF02596095. PMID 3230456. Research Blogging.
- ↑ Thabane M, Kottachchi DT, Marshall JK (2007). "Systematic review and meta-analysis: the incidence and prognosis of post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome". Aliment. Pharmacol. Ther. 26 (4): 535-44. DOI:10.1111/j.1365-2036.2007.03399.x. PMID 17661757. Research Blogging.
- ↑ Mallen CD, Peat G, Thomas E, Dunn KM, Croft PR (2007). "Prognostic factors for musculoskeletal pain in primary care: a systematic review". The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners 57 (541): 655-61. PMID 17688762. [e]
- ↑ Davies SJ, Jackson PR, Ramsay LE, Ghahramani P (2003). "Drug intolerance due to nonspecific adverse effects related to psychiatric morbidity in hypertensive patients". Arch. Intern. Med. 163 (5): 592-600. PMID 12622606. [e]
- ↑ Jenkins CD, Jono RT, Stanton BA (1996). "Predicting completeness of symptom relief after major heart surgery". Behavioral medicine (Washington, D.C.) 22 (2): 45-57. PMID 8879456. [e]
- ↑ Fields KB, Delaney M, Hinkle JS (1990). "A prospective study of type A behavior and running injuries". The Journal of family practice 30 (4): 425-9. PMID 2324695. [e]