ABSTRACT
Unexplained somatic symptoms are common amongst children and adolescents in the general population. In Garber et al.’s (1991) survey, children and adolescents reported a mean of nearly two somatic complaints in the previous two weeks. Most common symptoms were headaches and low energy -present in about a quarter—sore muscles, nausea and upset stomach, back and stomach pains. About one in ten children has ‘functional’ aches and pains for which a medical cause is not found (Goodman and McGrath, 1991). The term somatisation is used to indicate functional symptoms which are an expression of psychological difficulty or distress but which are ascribed by the sufferer to physical illness and lead to medical help-seeking.
