ABSTRACT
Over the centuries, doctors have noted the emotional and psychological aspects of their patients’ maladies. Galen in AD 200 estimated that at least six in every ten people who consulted him for a seemingly ‘physical’ complaint actually had an underlying psychological problem. This is still the case (Schild and Herman 1994), and patients who somatise are now at last being recognised as a major problem in the National Health Service (Royal College of Physicians and Royal College of Psychiatrists 1995), in particular by general practitioners traditionally trained in a biomedical model that was until recently essentially dualistic and reductionist. Doctors with better training are now beginning to understand the multidimensional aspects of their patients’ presenting symptoms, seeking to develop a more holistic approach to their work, and starting to explore the therapeutic implications of such an approach.
