Work

A patient perspective on enduring symptoms – the unmet need

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This short paper illustrates the lived experience of individuals with severe enduring symptoms: chronic, often debilitating conditions for which no clear medical explanation currently exists. Drawing on qualitative interviews, the paper highlights the profound suffering, isolation, and lack of medical support experienced by this underserved population. It examines the systemic barriers to care, including stigma, the absence of follow-up services, and the traumatising nature of some healthcare encounters, which can lead to healthcare avoidance even in the face of potentially life-threatening symptoms. It concludes with a call for improved training for clinicians, increased capacity within NHS services, and ring-fenced funding for biomedical research.

Source: Future Healthcare Journal

DOI: 10.1016/j.fhj.2025.100465

Author: Katharine Cheston

Institution: Durham University

Language: English

Topic: Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments

Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,000