In this interactive workshop, we will explore the evolution of diagnostic frameworks in psychiatric circles over years while considering the role of the GP in managing these patients. This includes managing the therapeutic relationship with patients who are deeply frustrated by the inability of the medical profession to name their illness and relieve their suffering.
We will explore the nature of diagnosis, our understanding of the mind-body connection and the vexed issues of psycho genesis in this space. Using Masterchef mystery boxes we will construct complex patient scenarios and discuss how these patients can be best cared for in a society that has invested heavily in the restitution narrative. What can we do when these patients are left without a diagnostic story to make sense of their suffering? How do we provide support and validation when there are no narratives for the patient to use in the broader community? And how do we minimise harm when pseudodiagnoses abound in cyberspace? As psychotherapists, this psychosocial context is deeply challenging, but our role is essential if these patients are to find healing.