A Cace of Various Neuro-Muscular Psychosomatic Symptoms, Associated with Alcohol-and Drug Dependence

Abstract

The patient was a 55-year-old male who had suffered from various neuro-muscular psychosomatic symptoms for 35 years. He was admitted to our clinic twice, and records were available to diagnose the case for twenty years prior. The symptoms included tremor of fingers, extremities and head, blepharospasm, torticollis, shoulder muscle pains and painful muscle spasm in lower extremities. These symptoms were intensified when he was with other persons, but subsided when he was home, or by himself. He had also developed alcohol and drug dependence to eliminate his tension and tremor. When he was forced to confront an unavoidable situation, he sometimes showed unconscious self-destructive tendencies such as obsessive suicidal ideas or actual accidental injuries. As to the genetic and developmental factors of the symptoms, the authors pointed out two important aspects ; that is, one was some unknown physiological disposition which was easily resulted in tremor or spasm in muscles when he became auxious. The other was his personality, in that he easily became tense with other people, dependent on drugs and even self-destructive without accepting alternative methods to relieve his anxiety .