[Subjective symptoms without objective findings--a challenge for theory and practice of general medicine]

Most practitioners know patients who suffer from subjective symptoms, although the doctor cannot find any objective findings or causal explanations. The majority of patients with medically unexplained disorders are women. In this article, I challenge the idea that these disorders are really unexplainable and inaccessible to diagnosis, treatment, or therapy. I present some experiences and findings from the research project "Symptoms as a source of medical knowledge", where an objective is to develop strategies where the patient's symptom experiences can be used to enhance the doctor's understanding of apparently unexplained disorders, their origins and consequences. Applying the theoretical framework of "recognition" and "empowerment", I propose some strategies intended to help the practitioner to encounter these challenges in everyday clinical practice.