Illness: Psychosomatic and Physical

Tom Sutcliffe explores health and well-being from the musings of a 17th century doctor to the latest research into psychosomatic illness. The GP, Gavin Francis celebrates the marvels of the human body while Hugh Aldersey-Williams looks back at the life of the celebrated and ever-curious doctor Sir Thomas Browne. The consultant neurologist Suzanne O'Sullivan accepts that telling a patient 'it's all in your head' is unhelpful, but how do you treat those whose symptoms are medically unexplained, and may well have an emotional cause? Charlie Howard runs a youth mental health charity which takes the health professionals out of the clinic and onto the streets, and involves young people at all levels of diagnosis and treatment.

Producer: Katy Hickman.