MAJOR DEPRESSION AND IRRITABLE-BOWEL-SYNDROME - IS THERE A RELATIONSHIP

Background: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) has been reported in 10% to 22% of adults. Seventy percent to 90% of patients with IBS who seek m edical attention have psychiatric comorbidity, most commonly major dep ression. In contrast, few studies have looked at the prevalence of IBS among psychiatric patients. Method: Using a semistructured clinical i nterview to study the prevalence of IBS, we compared 56 patients seeki ng treatment for major depression in an outpatient setting to an age- and sex-matched control group of patients (N = 40) who were seeking tr eatment in a general physician's office for other medical illnesses. T he control group had no Axis I disorders. IBS was diagnosed according to the criteria of Drossman et al. Results: Twenty-seven percent (N = 15) of patients with major depression met criteria for IBS in contrast to 2.5% (N = 1) of the control group (p = .0005). Patients with major depression and IBS were more likely to report symptoms of back pain, weakness, heartburn, and nocturnal bowel movements as well as a person al or family history of bowel disease compared with patients with majo r depression but without IBS. Conclusion: IBS is fairly common in pati ents seeking treatment for major depression. Prospective studies shoul d address the question whether treatment of major depression leads to an improvement or resolution of the symptoms of IBS.