Psychological implications in ENT diseases

Abstract

We are sometimes faced with psychic derangement or overlay in some of the ENT diseases and the link between patient’s psyche and any ENT disease at times becomes signifi cant and troublesome. The conditions in the fi eld between otorhinolaryngology and psychiatry can be classifi ed as psychiatric symptoms resulting from ENT diseases or interventions and those expressing themselves as ENT symptoms due to mental ailment. The former include hearing impairment, dizziness, tinnitus, choked airway, bad oral breath, stuffy nose, traumatic interventions and external nasal deformities. The later include exaggerated and diminished pharyngeal refl ex, globus hystericus, speech disorders, vasomotor rhinitis, nose picking, choked feeling, dizziness and headache. At times diseases originate in the human mind (consciousness), causing negative thoughts like jealousy, anger, and depression due to frustration. p ]A healthy mind in a healthy body generates sound and noble thoughts. Once a healthy body-mind relationship is established, we can be reasonably sure that greater happiness and success is within our reach. Patient seeking help from ENT surgeons to change their physical appearances and or function may not understand that the ultimate goal of surgery is to bring about psychological change by modifying the physical change, which is important aspect in septorhinoplastic surgery. At times patients asking for corrective rhinoplasty for minor external nasal deformities may have underlying psychological disturbance and use even slight external nasal deformity as scapegoat for psychological upset. Males are more diffi cult patients psychologically for any facial cosmetic surgery. These days some patients read about their diseases or treatment on the Internet and get more confused and psychologically disturbed due to rare causes of their illness, rare complications and diversity of treatment available.