Seemingly serious physical symptoms but no medical findings: Paralysis, blindness, deafness, loss of speech, numbness, pain somewhere in the body, dizziness, muscle twitching, seizures, exhaustion, loss of taste and smell, fainting spells, and many other similar symptoms. Repeated physical examinations and tests reveal nothing to explain the symptoms. Many patients in this category get a diagnosis of hysteria, somatization disorder, conversion disorder, atypical panic disorder, etc. Very often these symptoms stand for something the patient is trying to communicate non-verbally as we read before.
Psychiatric disorders: Some common disorders in this category are mood disorders (major depression, bipolar disorder); anxiety disorders (panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, post traumatic stress disorders); psychotic disorders (free standing or associated with mood disorders). Postpartum depression, post-menopausal depression are also in this general category.
Physical illnesses: High blood pressure irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, heart attack, asthmatic attacks, stomach ulcers, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, migraine headaches, and other disorders.
Disorders caused by bad habits: Many stressed-out people indulge in smoking, drinking alcohol, overeating, illicit sex and other vices which could lead to various serious physical disorders such as cancer, AIDS, heart and lung disorders, etc.