Psychosomatic medicine may be defined as a comprehensive, interdisciplinary framework for: assessment of psychological factors affecting individual vulnerability as well as course and outcome of illness; biopsychosocial consideration of patient care in clinical practice; specialist interventions to integrate psychological therapies in the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of medical disease. Current advances in the field have practical implications for medical research and practice, with particular reference to the role of lifestyle, the challenge of medically unexplained symptoms, the psychosocial needs entailed by chronic illness, the appraisal of therapy beyond pharmaceutical reductionism, and the function of the patient as a health producer. Today the field of psychosomatic medicine is scientifically rigorous, more diversified and therapeutically relevant than ever before.