The authors recommend that we should routinely ask about sexual abuse in patients who have associated somatic syndromes. Disclosure itself may have a therapeutic benefit and patients may wish to be referred for cognitive therapy.

However, I think some caution is necessary here. The link has not been established by prospective cohort studies, and no trials have yet been carried out to determine whether abuse disclosure is beneficial in patients with FSS. There is a risk that disclosure, if it is not handled sensitively, may exacerbate feelings of shame and guilt.