Effect of very brief psychotherapy on the irritable bowel syndrome.

The relationship between emotional factors and abdominal dysfunction in the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) has been the focus of uncertainty. In support of an integrated psychophysiological basis for the disorder, 60 consecutive IBS patients were treated by psychotherapy. Of the 52 subjects who responded to a self-assessment questionnaire, 46% indicated that they were asymptomatic or had only mild persistence of their symptoms. Only 11 patients (22%) indicated little or no improvement. These results support the efficacy of a very brief, but active, interview designed to contact and release subconscious feelings of distress in patients with IBS.