These patients go from department to department, undergoing all sorts of tests in the vain search for the cause of their ailments, all the while in a constant state of anxiety. With limited time for diagnosis and treatment, doctors strive fruitlessly to attend to these patients complaining of numerous odd symptoms, and often dismiss them as whiners.
這類病人遊走各科、做遍各種檢查，苦尋不著病源，惶惶不可終日；醫生則在有限的診療時間中，苦於無力安撫這些症狀千奇百怪、看似「無病呻吟」的病人。