OVERVIEW CBT works by helping patients find ways to change their behaviour and put those changes into practice Behaviour change involves setting SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time orientated)…
OVERVIEW CBT can be effective for a wide range of functional symptoms Cognitive approaches do not aim to uncover the cause, they address perpetuating factors for symptoms CBT is not…
OVERVIEW Listen to the patient Consider the possibility of medically unexplained symptoms (MUS)—think about epidemiology and about what is common in particular age groups Look for typical clinical features—of both…
OVERVIEW There is good evidence supporting the use of antidepressants in functional somatic symptoms; patients do not have to be depressed to derive benefit Other atypical analgesics such as gabapentin…
OVERVIEW Enhanced consultation skills enable doctors to work with patients with medically unexplained symptoms (MUS) in creative, personalised and effective ways Deep listening and empathy strengthen the therapeutic value of…
OVERVIEW Widespread pain involves multisite body pain often with symptoms in other body systems. It includes the syndrome of fibromyalgia Patients with widespread pain often have associated sleep and concentration…
OVERVIEW >50% of patients with chronic pelvic pain (CPP) have no obvious underlying pathology The diagnosis of functional CPP should be given as a positive statement not an expression of…
OVERVIEW Medically unexplained symptoms (MUS) are common in all fields of medicine Many patients have only occasional or mild MUS, but some have either persistent, recurring or changing symptoms In…
