Emotional fever: what it is, symptoms, causes and treatment

Emotional fever, also called psychogenic fever, is a condition in which the body temperature rises in the face of a stressful situation, causing a feeling of intense heat, excessive sweating and headache.

This condition can be triggered in people who have generalized anxiety, mental disorders, physical illnesses, such as fibromyalgia and even in children due to changes in routine, for example.

The diagnosis of emotional fever is not easy to find, however, it can be made by a general practitioner, neurologist or psychiatrist through the person’s clinical history and carrying out tests that serve to rule out other diseases.

Main symptoms

The main symptoms of emotional fever are:

• Elevation of body temperature;
• Sensation of intense heat;
• Redness in the face;
• Excessive sweating;
• Fatigue;
• Headache;
• Insomnia.

These symptoms may not appear at the same time, however, if they appear and last for more than 48 hours, it is recommended to seek medical attention quickly to check the causes, which can often indicate other types of illnesses, such as infections or inflammations.

How to confirm

Emotional fever is confirmed by the doctor based on the evaluation of the signs and symptoms presented by the person, taking into account the person’s lifestyle habits. In addition, the doctor may recommend carrying out laboratory tests to rule out infection and/or inflammation, which are situations that can also cause fever.

Possible causes

Emotional fever occurs because brain cells react to stress, causing the body temperature to increase to more than 37°C, reaching 40°C, and the blood vessels to become more compressed, causing redness in the face and increased heart rate. .

Thus, some situations that can cause emotional fever are:

• Speak in public;
• Loss of a loved one;
• Psychological changes, such as post-traumatic stress, generalized anxiety disorder and panic syndrome;
• Start of going to daycare and consequent separation from parents for a period, in the case of children.

The rapid and exaggerated increase in body temperature can also begin because of the stress and anxiety experienced by people who have diseases such as fibromyalgia and myalgic encephalomyelitis, better known as chronic fatigue syndrome.

How the treatment is carried out

Emotional fever is usually transient and disappears spontaneously, however, it can last for months if it is caused by continuous stress, and, in most cases, it does not improve with the use of medications such as anti-inflammatories, such as ibuprofen, or with antipyretics. , such as sodium dipyrone.

Therefore, after diagnosing this condition, the doctor will analyze the cause of the emotional fever so that the most appropriate treatment can be indicated, which mainly consists of the use of anxiolytic medications, to relieve anxiety and stress, and antidepressants, to treat depression. It may also be recommended to consult a psychologist to carry out psychotherapy sessions in order to understand what makes the person feel stressed and anxious.

In addition, carry out activities that involve relaxation and breathing techniques, such as yogaand practice meditation and do mindfulness can help treat emotional fever, as they reduce stress and anxiety. Check out how to do some mindfulness exercises.