Abstract
The roots of the psychosomatic medicine in Baltic medicine are old and well-established. However, they have been torn up numerous times by wars and military occupation. Since the Restoration of Independence of the Republic of Latvia in 1991, a rapid, fundamental development of the psychosomatic approach to the patient has begun.
The development of the psychosomatic approach was contributed by the high level of somatization in the country, due to high levels of psychopathology observed in post-Soviet society – the clinical picture of post-traumatic stress disorder, various personality disorders, etc. – which stemmed from the severely disturbing emotional experience of the WWII and the difficult choices that the people were confronted with due to the captivity – Soviet military occupation.
The amount of somatization gradually increased. At that time, Latvian doctors already understood the meaning of the emotional factors, but had to keep their knowledge within the clinic, since the psychosomatic approach was criticized by the Soviet side and perceived as bourgeois and reactionary.
After the Restoration of Independence, the psychosomatic approach, rooted in the tradition of Latvian medicine, has started to advance rapidly. This has inspired the development of the Riga Stradins University Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy in 1994, serving both as an educational institution and a clinical base for research.
As a result, not only medical students, but doctors as well are very interested in the psychosomatic approach, the importance of the doctor-patient relationship and Balint groups, and other different courses.
We have reached an understanding, that psychosomatic issues are strongly connected with the person’s mental state, especially with the emotional state. Therefore, the best prevention of psychosomatic disturbances would be the emotional well-being. The contemporary rising burden on the central nervous system leads to many emotional disturbances. It means that psychosomatic disturbances and illnesses will increase. In order to be “the best medicine” in the future, it will be crucial for doctors to understand the feelings and emotions of the patients.
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Ancāne, G., Utināns, A., Ancāns, A., Miksons, A. (2019). Psychosomatic Medicine in the Baltic States, Soviet Union, and the Russian Federation. In: Leigh, H. (eds) Global Psychosomatic Medicine and Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-12584-4_16
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