Abstract
Two cases are described in which stress-related glossodynia was identified, quickly understood by the patient and subsequently ameliorated.
Case 1: A 53 year-old woman, a full-time homemaker, exhibited the personality trait of a highlydeveloped sense of responsibility. Her mother-in-law went missing for about one month after being taken out by the patient's brother-in-law, from whom the patient was estranged, and it later transpired that the brother-in-law had used the mother-in-law's bank deposits in the intervening period to pay back his own debt. The family problems persisted and the patient began to develop glossodynia, insomnia, and a feeling of general malaise.
Case 2: A 55 year-old woman, a full-time homemaker, had a neurotic disorder. Her husband, a company manager, was diagnosed with liver cancer and admitted to a hospice by a medical institution. The husband's cancer diagnosis, however, was such that palliative treatment only was recommended. While worrying about the impending death of her husband, away from home, the housewife began to notice anxiety-related glossodynia with a bitter taste.
