[Functional somatic diseases--a review].

Functional somatic illness is a clinical concept used to define medically unexplained somatic symptoms considered to express psychological distress. Functional somatic illness may express underlying psychiatric disorders (e.g.

Adverse reaction to food: assessment by double-blind placebo-controlled food challenge and clinical, psychosomatic and immunologic analysis.

Double-blind placebo-controlled food challenge (DBPCFC) with food items applied in capsules was performed in a prospective study of 17 selected patients and 34 age- and sex-matched healthy controls in the interdisciplinary clinical setting. Protein immunoblotting showed no differences in antigenicity between foods in the capsules and the corresponding fresh foods. All patients reacted to one or more food substances during DBPCFC, with a doubtful reaction to placebo in 2 patients.

[Goldberg's General Health Questionnaire].

This paper reviews the different applications of the General Health Questionnaire in clinical work and research. Based on extensive experience of different versions of the GHQ, the authors recommend the 20- or 30-item versions, and not the 28-item version, as most suitable for the longitudinal and state assessments of distress, psychopathology and quality of life in medical and psychiatric populations.