Author: Elske Hogendoorn. Functional somatic symptoms are physical symptoms that cannot be fully attributed to a biomedical cause and may arise in the absence or presence of a chronic medical disease. Persistent functional somatic symptoms occur in various medical domains and are given a variety of diagnostic classifications, such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome or […]
EMDR may be effective for treating tinnitus (ringing in the ear)
Tinnitus, also called ‘ringing in the ear’, is the perception of a ringing, whistling, chirping or other sound in one or both ears, with no external source (‘phantom noise’). For most people, tinnitus is a temporary affliction; for 10-15% of sufferers, it develops into a chronic problem. Most chronic sufferers lead a fully functioning life. However, in 3-6% of the general population tinnitus becomes a distressing and incapacitating symptom, having a serious impact on daily life and causing insomnia, difficulty concentrating and headaches. Tinnitus can also coexist with depression, anxiety and other psychological disorders.
Differences in internists’ communication with patients with persistent somatic symptoms
Although it is known that an effective therapeutic relationship contributes to positive health outcomes, there is reason to believe that physicians’ interactions with patients with persistent somatic symptoms (PSS) differ from their interactions with patients with other chronic disorders. The objective of the study described here was to explore the interaction strategies of internists when communicating with patients with medically unexplained symptoms (MUS) as opposed to patients with medically explained symptoms (MES).