PSYCHIATRIC ASPECTS OF FOOD-RELATED PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS - A COMMUNITY STUDY

Beliefs about symptoms, food and health, mood disturbance, consulting behavior, and eating habits and attitudes were assessed by postal ques tionnaire in 273 adults who complained of food intolerance in a commun ity study. In contrast to previous studies conducted in allergy clinic s, most subjects who reported symptoms related to foods that were judg ed not to be allergic on clinical grounds did not manifest significant mood disturbance, impaired social adjustment, or excessive consultati on for other nonspecific physical or psychological symptoms. Subjects attributing symptoms to food sensitivity suffered less psychological i mpairment than those attributing symptoms to other causes such as stre ss, stomach or bowel disorder, or food contamination. However, an impo rtant subgroup of patients did report marked impact of symptoms on eve ryday life, frequent consultation in traditional and complementary med ical contexts, and appreciable mood disturbance. The reported associat ion between perceived food intolerance and psychiatric disorder in all ergy clinic patients is likely to be an artifact of referral bias.