Psychiatric assessment can help to distinguish unexplained physical symptoms from conditions such as depression, anxiety or conduct disorder. Psychiatrists can also help identify psychological factors that may be contributing to the maintenance of the symptoms. These can include low mood, lack of strategies for reducing the handicap caused by the symptom, high educational expectations, personality and other factors which may lead to pressure and stress for the child. Treatment Understanding the psychological and emotional factors which contribute to the unexplained physical symptoms makes it easier to develop treatments to cope with them. Medication may also play a part in overcoming anxiety and depression and in correcting sleep and eating disturbance.
Psychiatric help can also be helpful in developing a rehabilitation programme .
A programme needs to be designed around the special needs of the child and their family. The aim is to help the child to recover gradually by creating more effective ways of coping with the symptoms and getting back to a normal daily routine. This will involve a small but steady increase in activity, being careful to avoid doing too much on good days and too little on bad days. It will become possible to find ways of reducing the importance of nursing care for the physical symptoms. The child will be encouraged to do more for themselves and to regain their confidence and independence.