This study examines diagnostic concordance, symptomatology and disability among Chinese patients with shenjing shuairuo, ICD-10 neurasthenia, and DSM-IV diagnoses. Patients (N = 139) with unexplained somatic complaints completed the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III (SCID), the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), and the Short Form 36 (SF-36). Shenjing shuairuo could be reclassified as DSM-IV undifferentiated somatoform disorder (30.6%) and somatoform pain disorder (22.4%); however, 44.9% did not qualify for a core DSM-IV diagnosis. Concordance of neurasthenia and shenjing shuairuo was significant (p < .001). Symptom distress and disability was similar to that reported by patients with somato-form and anxiety disorders. Within the Chinese context, shenjing shuairuo describes a heterogeneous group with clinically significant levels of disturbance and disability.
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