We have proposed that the management of serious psychosomatic TMJ disorder should be undertaken in a hospital environment where the patient can be fully investigated and the response to medication and psychotherapy monitored.
This is not only because they are too tired to do anything but also they wander about many hospitals having wrong conviction that occlusion is the cause of many systemic disorders.
To release the oral function from this pathological attention of brain, we reduce their symptoms by antidepressants without dealing with their occlusion. In this process, we take a psychotherapeutic method to make them notice their changes to understand that occlusion had nothing to do with patient's symptoms.
A 34-year old man, complaining of TMJ disorder and systemic fatigue and many symptoms, was shown as a case example in the process of improvement of wrong conviction.
Once he came to our department, but was lost to follow-up, and wandering many hospitals including neuro-pcychiatry. 8 months after the last visit, the patient came to our hospital again for admission.
In the process of therapy, constant stimuli were provided to patients in the therapeutic frame, in which the therapist tried to maintain an emotionally steady attitude toward him and gave active support to his healthy mind, through stable and proper comments without being affected by perpetual and entrapping inciation of his ill mind.
Comstancy not only in psychological stimuli but also bodily sensation was evaluated as one of the most important factors for the cure of the disorders. Psychosomatic therapy by the dentist made it possible for this patient to resusciate his own bodily (especially oral) perseption.
