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One of the common types of psychologically distressed patients seen in general hospital settings is one who presents with somatic symptoms for which there is either no apparent cause, or where the severity of the somatic symptom is greater than would be expected from a diagnosed physical disease. These presenting illnesses constitute a major public health problem. This monograph is an attempt to examine the prevalence of non-psychotic morbidity in the general hospital setting. The monograph utilizes a reader friendly narrative approach devoid of statistics, tables and figures to promote an understanding of the issue of psychological distress in the general hospital settings and to indicate areas of further research and implications for policy in a developing country like India.

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