Functional Somatic Syndromes

Functional somatic syndromes are defined as physical syndromes without an organic disease explanation, demonstrable structural changes, or established biochemical abnormalities. This book reviews the state of scientific and clinical understanding of the nine most common functional somatic syndromes. For each syndrome, expert contributors provide a brief historical perspective, a current definition, a case presentation, confirmatory and contradictory research findings, a discussion of the leading pathogenetic hypotheses, and guidelines for diagnosis and treatment. Chapters offer advice for the determination of disability of patients with these medically unexplained disorders, while describing both medical and psychiatric interventions. Stressing the importance of a sound therapeutic relationship as a basis for treatment, this is an invaluable resource for professionals in primary care and many other disciplines.

1. Definition and etiological theories Peter Manu; 2. Chronic fatigue syndrome Peter Manu, Dale A. Matthews; 3. Fibromyalgia syndrome Micha Abeles; 4. Irritable bowel syndrome George F. Longstreth; 5. Premenstrual syndrome Teri Pearlstein; 6. Interstitial cystitis Ngoc Ho, James A. Koziol, C. Lowell Parsons; 7. Temporomandibular disorders Carol M. Greco, Thomas E. Rudy, Andrew Herlich; 8. Chest pain syndromes Lawson R. Wulsin; 9. Repetitive strain injury Stephen P. Tyrer; 10. Multiple chemical sensitivities Abba I. Terr; 11. Psychopharmacology of functional somatic syndromes Arthur Rifkin; 12. Psychotherapy of functional somatic syndromes Gary Taerk; 13. Determination of disability claimed by patients with functional somatic syndromes Peter Manu; 14. Functional somatic syndromes: exploring common denominators Peter Manu.