+1. Several people at work have reported that "The Mindbody Prescription: Healing the Body, Healing the Pain" helped their wrist pain go away.

YMMV. But just as doctors shouldn't dismiss the idea symptoms are due to a "real" (read: physical) condition, folks suffering shouldn't dismiss the idea they can be cured (or greatly improved) through non-physical means, even if there is some physical origin.

I haven't tried this book myself. I've had wrist/forearm/hand problems (weakness, tingling/numbness, pain, loss of flexibility, diagnosed as carpal tunnel and tendonitis), but they largely went away before I'd heard of the book. I think a bunch of things helped me, including wrist exercises suggested by a physical therapist, TENS (administered by the physical therapist), time, Qi Gong, meditation/relaxation techniques (I'd always had a lot of muscle tension, including tension headaches), and (later on) resuming rock climbing and weight lifting. So some combination of physical and mental changes.

Cursing at them out of frustration only makes your situation worse.

It's been shown that it's very hard to prove that you're not mentally ill if you're labeled as such. Getting treatment just means you'll be put on essentially random psychiatric medications (which have their own side-effects) or have to spend years in useless therapy (while your actual disease may progress).

If a doctor isn't willing to do the proper testing or evaluation the first time then they won't do it a second time either but just claim you haven't gotten the right psychiatric treatment yet.

But what if you do have a condition that requires therapy? You're unlikely to recognize it yourself. Would you always refuse treatment and just go with painkillers instead?

> Getting treatment just means you'll be put on essentially random psychiatric medications (which have their own side-effects) or have to spend years in useless therapy (while your actual disease may progress).

The patient in this case would not see a psychiatrist since he's not depressed or mentally ill.

Instead he would be sent to a psychologist who can only recommend further therapy. Ofcourse if the symptoms become worse you should immediately see the GP and not wait for therapy.

> If a doctor isn't willing to do the proper testing or evaluation the first time then they won't do it a second time either

If your symptoms become worse the doctor will definitely recommend testing. Therapy is something to do as part of diagnosing your ailment.

Severe pain due to psychosomatic causes sounds like mental illness to me.

>Instead he would be sent to a psychologist who can only recommend further therapy.

No, they can also strongly recommend that they see a psychiatrist for potential medications.

>The patient in this case would not see a psychiatrist since he's not depressed or mentally ill.

Every health system I've dealt with funnels to medication pretty strongly. Therapy is a slow process and medication allows a patient to not be in distress during the years it can take.

>Therapy is something to do as part of diagnosing your ailment.

Therapy is a slow process that in the best of cases can take years to work and longer in other cases. It is a shitty approach to diagnosis.

In that case you're assuming both the psychiatrist and the GP overreact.

> Every health system I've dealt with funnels to medication pretty strongly.

Because patients often insist on medication because they do not accept that the ailment can't immediately be diagnosed.

Not my experience both personally and with those I know regarding mental illness. Doctors are quick to diagnose mental illnesses (correctly or not) and prescribe medications for them (even if the patient is hesitant). Some health systems even make it nearly impossible to get a therapist (we can see you once a month starting in two months...) but not a psychiatrist.

Honestly it sounds like the GP is so cynical about the hot garbage they perceive UK healthcare to be that they basically said "please go away so that our utter inability to help you doesn't weigh on my conscience any further... oh thank god you invoked the loophole that lets me kick you out now and pretend it's all really your fault"

That's a patient's perspective, but how about a doctor's perspective? You've got a patient refusing treatment for what could very well be a psychosomatic condition and instead demanding opiods that are very likely to result in addiction.

There is a large stigma around mental health, but there's no such thing as a person who's completely sane. Just because a doctor is saying you might have a psychosomatic condition is not the same as him saying you're deranged.

No. Because sometimes their advice is "nothing can be done, you'll need to manage." Or - "Wait for a few more weeks and if it doesn't go away, we'll rethink things".

To be fair, this is often excellent advice.

More broadly, it's a mistake to measure how much your doctor "cares" by how eager they are to throw lots of tests and treatments at you. Modern medicine isn't magic, and there isn't always that much that a responsible doctor can do for you.