Psychosomatic illness involves physical symptoms exacerbated by mental health factors like stress or depression. These symptoms, though often overlooked, are genuine and require medical attention.

The notion that psychological problems can manifest as physical disorders or symptoms predates the founding of modern scientific psychiatry in the late 1800s. Indeed, it is an idea as old as medicine ...

In the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Dr. Giovanni A. Fava and collaborators describe research findings that may shed new light on unexplained and difficult to treat medical ...

The Canadian Psychiatric Association held its 53rd Annual Meeting in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada from October 30 to November 2, 2003. A number of interesting topics were presented, including a review ...

Doctors who dismiss symptoms of autoimmune diseases as psychiatric or psychosomatic can cause lasting harm, a University of Cambridge study has warned. Conditions such as lupus and vasculitis are ...

Although psychosomatic medicine is regarded as a branch of psychiatry in many countries, some of its diagnostic concepts are not fully encompassed by mainstream psychiatric diagnostic systems. When ...

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American Placebo effects, exercise highs, getting sick ...