Irritable bowel syndrome: associated features and the efficacy of psychosocial treatments

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic gastrointestinal disorder characterized by a wide range of physiological symptoms. Patients with this disorder frequently present with a number of psychiatric symptoms, report histories of severe trauma, and show illness-related behavior disproportional to their physical discomfort. The present article reviews the diagnosis, correlates, and associated features of IBS. Multiple models of the etiology of IBS are presented as well as a review of the available research on the efficacy of psychosocial treatments. It is concluded that the demonstrated efficacy of psychosocial treatments for IBS may largely be attributable to the effects of non-specific treatment factors. Experimental controls that will allow for the evaluation of the specific efficacy of prescriptive and structured psychosocial treatments for IBS over and above the effects of non-specific factors are recommended.