Somatisation is the expression in physical symptoms of psychological and social distress and includes both functional and organic illnesses. The diagnosis and management of somatisation has been neglected in medical education despite the fact that research shows that somatisation is a very common cause of new presentations in general practice (25%) and that there are high percentages of somatising illnesses in neurology (30%), gastroenterology (50%), and cardiovascular outpatient clinics (20%). This workshop will explain why somatisation should be a positive diagnosis, not a diagnosis of exclusion and will outline relevant research and a practical approach to diagnosis and management for general practice consultations. The focus is on ‘facultative somatisers’, the majority of somatisers, who readily consider psychosocial causes if the doctor interacts with them appropriately. Four standard questions are provided (cf standard questions for cardiovascular, respiratory systems etc), patterns of somatising illness described, and three important consultation skills outlined. Simple education strategies are provided to facilitate patient understanding and a straight-forward approach to management is explained.