Somatization in children: teaching a difficult subject to medical students

The article describes a specific teaching / learning assignment for medical undergraduates on somatization in children. The setting for learning for the students was a non-specialist paediatric outpatient service. The students followed a selected working definition in identifying their cases for study and used a semi-structured questionnaire to further investigate the presenting complaints, possible aetiology and the impact of symptoms in the child’s life. The students then presented their findings at a seminar with an ensuing discussion to understand the relevant diagnoses, psycho-physiological processes in symptom generation and the clinical management. The challenges in learning about somatization for the undergraduate and in applying this learning to clinical practice are discussed.