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Globus hystericus, colloquially called a throat ball, belongs to psychosomatic diseases and has no basis in any organic disease. If in a stressful situation you have a choking symptom in your throat as if you swallowed a walnut-sized ball, you may be suffering from so-called globus hystericus. So, is it possible to cure globus hystericus? Are there any ways to overcome this ailment?

Globus hystericusis a professional term for a well-known lump in the throat that grows in difficult moments in life, e.g. before an important exam, first date, job interview, court hearing but also in moments of emotion. It affects women more than men, and it simply gives the impression that a foreign body is stuck in the throat. The throat seems so tight you can't swallow anything, but it's an illusion. If we try to drink or eat something, this feeling passes. It should be noted that people with globus hystericus do not experience any difficulty or any pain when swallowing. If that were the case, we would no longer be dealing with a throat ball, but with the serious problem of dysphagia.

What is globus hystericus and who does it touch?

The throat ball is a conversion disorder. Conversion in psychology is, broadly speaking, the conversion of a psychological problem into a somatic one. It is characteristic of people struggling with some disease or mental disorder, it occurs, for example, in the obsessive (anankastic) personality, in the course of depression, in anxiety states.

It often happens to people suffering from various types of neuroses. Somatomorphic disorders are very typical for neurotic people, i.e. feeling physical ailments where there are none.

Globus hystericus - diagnosis

In order to state with certainty that the patient's ailment results only from his mental problems, the doctor should exclude all other causes of the feeling of tightness in the throat. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out an ENT examination, X-ray, pH-measurement and even gastroscopy and outpatient examinations.

Only when the results of all these tests are correct, the patient will be referred to a psychiatrist and psychologist. The psychiatrist will make a diagnosis when the following criteria are met:

  • the feeling of a bullet in the throat appearsperiodically or permanently for a minimum period of 6 months
  • occurs only between meals, and eating or drinking will reduce the symptom
  • the patient does not suffer from reflux, dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), odynophagia (painful swallowing), or any other esophageal disease - so all these tests must be correct
  • diseases of the thyroid gland are excluded

Globus hystericus - treatment

Unfortunately, there are no drugs that can overcome the feeling of a ball in the throat, possibly because the ball is not there at all. It has an emotional background and it very often happens that when a patient learns that he is suffering from globus hystericus, and not from something more serious, he calms down enough that the ball in his throat significantly shrinks or even disappears.

People who feel depressed also see a reduction in throat pressure if they take antidepressants. However, psychotherapy is the best for globus hystericus.

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How can you help yourself?

A person affected by globus hystericus should learn relaxation techniques, thanks to which they will be able to relieve the pressure in the throat. Proper breathing is the key:

  • If you can lie down, if not - sit down, or at least stand up straight. Close your eyes and inhale as deeply as possible through your nose, then slowly, in a thin stream, exhale through your mouth. Repeat several times.
  • Turn your head once to the right and to the left, slowly and accurately. Pause for 5 seconds each time. Breathe calmly.
  • Massage your throat with your hand in vertical movements up and down.
  • Drink a glass of water in small sips, concentrating on this activity, not anything else.

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Category:

Psychiatry