Medically Unexplained Symptoms

Question 1

Functional disorders

Answer 1

Symptoms that appear to not be caused by physical disease, disturbance of function

Question 2

Factitious disease

Answer 2

Patient lies about or induces their symptoms

Question 3

Münchausen syndrome by proxy

Answer 3

Parent pretends child is ill and may induce symptoms

Question 4

Causes of medically unexplained symptoms

Answer 4

• exaggerated stress response to normal life stresses

- attentional bias for unpleasant stimuli

Question 5

Management of medically unexplained symptoms

Answer 5

• listen, diagnose and explain functional disorder
• provide support - e.g. websites
• neuropsychiatric referral - cognitive and behavioural treatment
• pharmacological treatment - antidepressants, atypical analgesics (gabapentin, pregablin)