Psychogenic Dizziness: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

Dizziness is a common feeling that can happen because of different reasons. One of these reasons is called psychogenic dizziness. It’s interesting because it comes from our feelings and thoughts, not from something physically wrong in our body like our ears or brain. This article will explain psychogenic dizziness in simple words, talking about why it happens, what it feels like, how doctors find out if you have it, and the ways to make it better.

Understanding Psychogenic Dizziness

Psychogenic dizziness is like feeling dizzy when you’re really nervous before giving a presentation. Even though the room isn’t spinning, your emotions make you feel off balance. It’s similar when you’re anxious about something, and suddenly you feel like everything is moving around you, even though it’s not. It’s your mind playing tricks on your body, making you feel dizzy even when nothing physical is causing it. 

Causes and Symptoms

Psychogenic dizziness happens when our feelings and thoughts make us feel dizzy, even though nothing’s wrong with our body. Here’s why it can happen:

1. Feeling Nervous or Stressed: When we’re really worried or stressed, it can make us feel dizzy. Like when you’re nervous about a test and suddenly feel like the room is spinning.
2. Having a Panic Attack: During a panic attack, our body can make us feel lightheaded or dizzy. It’s like our body’s way of reacting to feeling scared.
3. Strong Emotions: Big feelings like sadness or fear can also trigger dizziness. For example, if you’re really upset about something, you might feel dizzy because of it.
4. Mind and Body Connection: Sometimes, our brain gets mixed up by what we see and feel, leading to dizziness. It’s like when you’re on a swing and feel dizzy because your body is moving but your eyes see everything else staying still.
5. Thinking About It Too Much: Sometimes, just worrying about feeling dizzy can actually make us feel dizzy. It’s like our mind tricks our body into feeling something that isn’t really there.

Symptoms

When someone has psychogenic dizziness, they might feel funny in different ways that make them feel off balance or dizzy. Here are some things they might feel:

1. Feeling like things are spinning or moving around: Even if nothing is actually moving, they might feel like everything is spinning or swaying.
2. Feeling like they might faint or pass out: It’s like feeling dizzy and like they might fall down, even though they’re not really going to.
3. Feeling wobbly when they walk: They might feel like they’re walking on something shaky, even if the ground is steady.
4. Feeling like they might lose their balance: They might feel like they’re going to tip over, even if they’re standing still or sitting down.
5. Feeling dizzy when they move in certain ways: Doing things like turning their head fast or standing up quickly might make the dizziness worse.
6. Feeling sick to their stomach: They might feel like they’re going to throw up, even if they’re not really nauseous.

Related Article: Psychogenic Itching: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

How to Diagnose Psychogenic Dizziness

Diagnosing psychogenic dizziness can be tricky because it has many sides and can look like other health problems. To figure it out, a healthcare pro needs to do a few things:

1. Ask About Past Health: They’ll talk to the person about any past health issues, both physical and mental, and any medicines they’re taking. They’ll also ask about important life events.
2. Check the Body: The doctor will give the person a thorough check-up to make sure nothing physical is causing the dizziness. They’ll look at things like balance and how well the nerves are working.
3. Ask About Feelings: Since emotions can play a big role in psychogenic dizziness, the doctor might ask about how the person’s feeling emotionally. They’ll want to know if things like anxiety or depression could be linked to the dizziness.
4. Do Special Tests: Sometimes, the doctor might need to do tests to look closer at how the inner ear is working or check for any problems in the brain. These tests help make sure that other reasons for the symptoms are not the cause.
5. Use Imaging: In some cases, the doctor might need to take pictures of the brain or inner ear using machines like MRI or CT scans. This helps them see if there’s anything abnormal causing the dizziness.

Treatment Approaches

Treating psychogenic dizziness means helping both the body and the mind. Some of the ways are:

1. Talk it Out: Chatting with a therapist can help folks understand why they’re feeling dizzy and how to handle those feelings better.
2. Medicine Help: Sometimes, doctors might give meds to calm down the dizziness, especially if someone’s feeling super anxious. These meds can help relax them.
3. Move Your Body: Doing special exercises can make balance better and lessen dizziness. These exercises focus on specific body parts that help with balance.
4. Relax Time: Learning to chill out can really help with dizziness. Stuff like deep breathing or meditation can calm the mind and lower stress, which makes dizziness less of a bother.
5. Healthy Living: Taking care of the body is key. Eating well, sleeping enough, staying active, and cutting back on things like caffeine and alcohol can all help ease dizziness and make you feel better overall.

Psychogenic dizziness is tricky for both patients and doctors because it’s caused by a mix of mind and body stuff. To help, it’s important for treatment to cover both the physical and emotional sides of things. By knowing more about why it happens, what it feels like, and how to treat it, people can work on feeling better and living happier lives.