title: Causal explanatory pluralism and medically unexplained physical symptoms.
abstract: In this paper, we propose a methodology for investigating medically unexplained physical symptoms (MUPSs). These symptoms are common in both primary and specialist medical practices, but are poorly understood. Currently, MUPSs are diagnosed via non-explanatory labels. However, we show that explanatory diagnoses are preferable to non-explanatory syndromic diagnoses because they bring both epistemic and therapeutic benefits to patients and their providers. Thus, we advocate a methodology of causal explanatory pluralism in the diagnostic workup and clinical management of MUPSs.
authors.affiliation: Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cournoyea
authors.forename: Ashley Graham
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Kennedy
mesh_terms: D015984:Causality; D015510:Clinical Medicine; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018802:Patient-Centered Care; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011602:Psychophysiologic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*
keywords: diagnosis; explanation; patient-centred care; person-centred medicine