Psychosomatic features of patients with gallstone disease (scientific review)

Nowadays, chronic stress and provoking conditions are becoming more and more socially significant risk factors for a wide range of somatic diseases. It is already shown that the physiological characteristics of the organism can vary depending on the form of the individual reactions to external stimuli. The aim of this project is to identify the key psychological factors of gallstone disease (GD) pathogenesis and potential neurotransmitters mediating interrelation between psychological features of the patient with this somatic disease. As a result of the literature review the following trends were revealed in the psychological portrait of GD patient: 1) inclination to act for the benefit of others, known as sacrifice, altruism and compassion; 2) commitment to hard, earnest work, equity, responsibility, authority and perfectionism, authoritarian parents; 3) a tendency to follow social and professional rules and principles with the denial of one's immediate needs and desires, which becomes a source of discontent and frustration and results in feelings of injustice, painful thoughts, anxiety and stress, and aversion to conflict. Four patients with GD were observed and revealed the following psychological features, equal to listed above, such as ambitiousness, responsibility, authority and perfectionism, as well as willingness to help people. All patients had authoritarian parents and unsolved conflicts, repressed emotions and desires, excessive demands and expectations from parents, the idea of denying ones interests in the benefit of other family members, domination and suppression from parents' side. The data match the literature review results and enable the authors to make a proposal about the important role of the psychological factors in GD pathogenesis and about the great interest in psychological correction to increase GD conservative therapy efficiency.