SPHERE: A National Depression Project

In reply: It is with great pleasure that we resume our ongoing correspondence with Phillips concerning the medical and psychological status of patients who present with non-specific somatic complaints such as chronic fatigue.1 As we have reported previously,2 we have been strong advocates of both the need to develop appropriate instruments for measuring neuropsychiatric states characterised by non-specific somatic symptoms and to promote effective medical and psychological management of patients with these disabling conditions.3