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Overview of Medically Unexplained Symptoms

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Medically Unexplained Symptoms

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Abstract

Although the majority of medically unexplained symptoms are psychosomatic in origin, people are often given a medical diagnosis and receive medical treatments for the symptoms. By suggesting that the symptoms may be the harbinger of a potentially serious disease and providing test results of questionable significance, physicians may inadvertently amplify the symptoms. Chronic pain is by far the most common medically unexplained symptom followed by fatigue and dizziness. Stress, defined as an inability to cope, is at the root of most psychosomatic symptoms, and managing stress should be at the center of any treatment program.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Robert W. Baloh

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  1. Robert W. Baloh
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Correspondence to Robert W. Baloh .

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Baloh, R.W. (2021). Overview of Medically Unexplained Symptoms. In: Medically Unexplained Symptoms. Copernicus, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-59181-6_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-59181-6_1

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  • Publisher Name: Copernicus, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-59180-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-59181-6

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