Irritable bowel syndrome and family history of psychiatric disorder: a preliminary study.

A series of 70 consecutive patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) were interviewed concerning their family history of psychiatric disorders. A series of 60 consecutive patients with major depression (MDE) were also interviewed, as were a control group of 46 relatives of patients with organic brain disease. The results showed that both IBS and MDE groups had a similar, higher prevalence of relatives with psychiatric illness than controls, and that this was due to a higher prevalence of anxiety and depressive disorder in the relatives. The implications of these findings are discussed.