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Functional Symptoms in Young People: Conceptualizations, Definitions, and Approaches

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Functional Symptoms in Pediatric Disease

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Abstract

All health conditions incorporate and exhibit the interplay of psychophysiological factors, which become significant in functional disorders. Functional disorders are a subset of health conditions for which conventional medically based evaluations do not reveal structural or physiological abnormalities to account for the presenting symptoms. As such, they challenge clinicians to shift from models based on mind–body duality, and the primacy of externally applied therapies, and to work instead with the reality of psychophysiological phenomena. By recognizing functional groupings of these conditions and by developing appropriate therapeutic approaches, clinicians can help young people and their families to grow, change, and move toward well-being. In so doing, clinicians invest in their young patients’ resiliency and self-efficacy, enrich and solidify patient/provider relationships, and increase clinician satisfaction in practice.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pediatric Suggestions, 2019 Los Angeles Avenue, Berkeley, CA, 94707, USA

    F. Ralph Berberich MD

  2. Center for Applied Psychophysiology and Self-Regulation, Institute and College of Health Sciences and Technology, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, USA

    Laurence Irwin Sugarman MD, FAAP, ABMH

  3. Easter Seals (New York) Diagnostic and Treatment Center, Rochester, NY, USA

    Laurence Irwin Sugarman MD, FAAP, ABMH

  4. University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY, USA

    Laurence Irwin Sugarman MD, FAAP, ABMH

Authors
  1. F. Ralph Berberich MD
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  2. Laurence Irwin Sugarman MD, FAAP, ABMH
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to F. Ralph Berberich MD .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York, USA

    Ran D. Anbar

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Berberich, F.R., Sugarman, L.I. (2014). Functional Symptoms in Young People: Conceptualizations, Definitions, and Approaches. In: Anbar, R. (eds) Functional Symptoms in Pediatric Disease. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-8074-8_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-8074-8_1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4899-8073-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-8074-8

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