[Whiplash injuries--a psychosomatic perspective].

Background: Psychosocial impairment after whiplash injury could be extensive; presumably about 15% of whiplash patients suffer from long lasting disabling health problems and about 5% do not return to work.

Material And Methods: A PubMed search of all available literature on whiplash and whiplash-associated disorders was performed.

Results: Psychosocial impairment following whiplash injury is influenced by vulnerability factors, the biomechanical trauma and factors affecting symptom formation.

[Psychological factors in non-cardiac chest pain].

This paper reviews the association between psychological factors and non-cardiac chest pain, with an emphasis on panic disorders. 50-70 per cent of patients referred to cardiac evaluation because of chest pain and for whom negative findings are obtained, continue to suffer from chest pain that is strongly associated with considerable social and occupational disability. Recent studies have shown that at least one third of these patients suffer from panic disorder.

[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.

[The impact of psychological factors on the treatment of somatic diseases. The situation today, as exemplified by cardiovascular disorders and cancer].

Prospective intervention studies have shown that cognitive-behavioral interventions can improve morbidity and mortality both in cancer and in circulatory disorders. Research in fields like molecular biology, psychoneuroendocrinology and psychoneuroimmunology has identified some of the links between emotions and biological reactions. The paper reviews the situation today and concludes that psychobiologically based interventions may make important contributions to somatic medicine.

[Psychosocial aspects in presymptomatic testing for genetic diseases. Experiences after 2 years of counseling in Huntington disease].

The authors describe their experience from the psychiatric assessment and psychosocial counselling of 28 persons who sought presymptomatic testing for Huntington's chorea. Half of the persons had lived with a disease-affected parent during childhood and early adolescence. Nine of these persons had suffered from a psychiatric disorder at least once.