BMJ  2007;334:1105-1109 (26 May), doi:10.1136/bmj.39199.679236.AE

Clinical Review

Clinical review

Psychological approach to managing irritable bowel syndrome

Department of Gastroenterology, Kings College Hospital, London SE5 9RS

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

"It is more important to know what sort of person has a disease than to know what sort of disease a person has." Hippocrates

The medical management of patients with irritable bowel syndrome is often unsatisfactory. Doctors are still taught that irritable bowel syndrome is a diagnosis of exclusion, and patients readily sense that they are being told that nothing is really wrong with them. Many people soon come to appreciate that the range of medical treatments available is limited in both scope and efficacy. The mood of negativity, once established, is difficult to dispel.

Irritable bowel syndrome is believed to result from a variety of biological and psychosocial factors Irritable bowel syndrome is not a diagnosis of exclusion; a positive diagnosis can usually be made The usual medical treatment is often highly unsatisfactory; if psychological factors seem important, these should be dealt with Tricyclic antidepressants and some selective serotonin . . . [Full text of this article]

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