Causal explanatory pluralism and medically unexplained physical symptoms

Area of Science:

• Medical Diagnosis
• Psychosomatic Medicine
• Clinical Research

Background:

• Medically unexplained physical symptoms (MUPSs) are prevalent in healthcare settings.
• Current diagnostic labels for MUPSs lack explanatory power.
• Understanding the etiology of MUPSs is crucial for effective patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a novel methodology for investigating MUPSs.
• To advocate for explanatory diagnoses over non-explanatory syndromic labels.
• To highlight the benefits of causal explanatory pluralism in managing MUPSs.

Main Methods:

• Review of current diagnostic practices for MUPSs.
• Analysis of the epistemic and therapeutic benefits of different diagnostic approaches.
• Development of a framework for causal explanatory pluralism.

Main Results:

• Explanatory diagnoses provide superior epistemic and therapeutic advantages compared to non-explanatory syndromic diagnoses.
• Causal explanatory pluralism offers a more robust framework for MUPSs investigation.
• The proposed methodology enhances patient and provider understanding.

Conclusions:

• A shift towards explanatory diagnoses is recommended for MUPSs.
• Causal explanatory pluralism should guide the diagnostic workup and management of MUPSs.
• This approach promises improved outcomes for patients experiencing MUPSs.