Patients meeting criteria for Briquet's syndrome (N = 20) and patients diagnosed as having hysterical personality disorder (N = 20) were assessed clinically and with personality inventories to test the hypothesis that, while in many respects patients with Briquet's syndrome would resemble those with hysterical personality disorder, they would also be more obsessional. The comparison showed that both groups had highly disordered family, personal, medical and psychiatric histories, and that the Briquet's patients, though manifesting similar hysterical traits, had more obsessional features than did the patients with hysterical personality disorder. The possible role of the combination of obsessional and hysterical traits of personality as a vulnerability factor in the behaviour of complaining is discussed.