title: [Concept of functional somatic syndromes].
abstract: "Functional somatic syndromes" is one of the new terminologies in the medicine. However most of the primary-care physicians have already noticed the existence of the patient appeal their physical symptoms which is medically unexplained for a long time. On the other hand, the psychiatrists looked same physical symptoms as a symbolic representation of the patients' psychological conflicts, somatoform disorders. This new terminology "functional somatic syndromes" intends to integrate those two dimensions and to understand the patient as a whole person. In this special issue, we show the multi-dimensional aspects of "functional somatic syndromes" and intend to serve the clue to understand the patients with symptoms to all primary-care physicians in Japan.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Kansai Medical University.
authors.forename: Mikihiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fukunaga
authors.forename: Yoshihide
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nakai
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D011320:Primary Health Care; D011602:Psychophysiologic Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D013577:Syndrome