Medically Unexplained Symptoms, Somatisation and Bodily Distress
Developing Better Clinical Services

Written and edited by leading experts in the field, this authoritative text reviews current literature and defines international best practice.

Francis Creed (Edited by), Peter Henningsen (Edited by), Per Fink (Edited by)

9780521762236, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 14 July 2011

268 pages, 20 b/w illus. 29 tables
23.6 x 16.3 x 1.8 cm, 0.55 kg

Medically unexplained symptoms and somatisation are the fifth most common reason for visits to doctors in the USA, and form one of the most expensive diagnostic categories in Europe. The range of disorders involved includes irritable bowel syndrome, chronic widespread pain and chronic fatigue syndrome. This book reviews the current literature, clarifies and disseminates clear information about the size and scope of the problem, and discusses current and future national and international guidelines. It also identifies barriers to progress and makes evidence-based recommendations for the management of medically unexplained symptoms and somatisation. Written and edited by leading experts in the field, this authoritative text defines international best practice and is an important resource for psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, primary care doctors and those responsible for establishing health policy.

1. Epidemiology: prevalence, causes and consequences Francis Creed, Arthur Barsky and Kari Ann Leiknes
2. Terminology, classification and concepts Peter Henningsen, Per Fink, Constanze Hausteiner-Wiehle and Winfried Rief
3. Evidence-based treatment Francis Creed, Kurt Kroenke, Peter Henningsen, Alka Gudi and Peter White
4. Current state of management and organisation of care Per Fink, Chris Burton, Jef de Bie, Wolfgang Söllner and Kurt Fritzsche
5. Barriers to improving treatment Peter Henningsen, Christian Fazekas and Michael Sharpe
6. Gender, lifespan and cultural aspects Constanze Hausteiner-Wiehle, Gudrun Schneider, Sing Lee, Athula Sumipathala and Francis Creed
7. Medically unexplained symptoms in children and adolescents Emma Weisblatt, Peter Hindley and Charlotte Rask
8. Identification, assessment and treatment of individual patients Francis Creed, Christina van der Feltz, Else Guthrie, Peter Henningsen, Winfried Rief, Andreas Schröder and Peter White
9. Training Per Fink, Kurt Fritzsche, Wolfgang Söllner and Astrid Larisch
10. Achieving optimal treatment organisation in different countries - suggestions for service development applicable across different healthcare systems Francis Creed, Peter Henningsen and Richard Byng
Index.

Subject Areas: Psychotherapy [MMJT], Clinical psychology [MMJ], Psychiatry [MMH], Health psychology [MBNH9]