Lessons learned from studies of treatment of anxiety and depression: implications for clinical trial design for irritable bowel syndrome

Abstract

This report highlights various considerations regarding the potential impact of concurrent psychiatric disorders and history of abuse in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) clinical trial patient volunteers. Although many studies have used psychological rating scales to assess the personality and psychological characteristics of patients with IBS, only recently have the prevalence of various psychiatric diagnoses (ie, categorical assessments) been systematically evaluated in patients with IBS. A recent study of patients seeking treatment found that the majority (50% to 90%) of individuals seeking treatment for IBS had a lifetime history or current experience with one or more common psychiatric disorders, such as major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, or panic disorder. appeared to be there. , social phobia, somatization disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Existing clinical wisdom is that the presence of a psychiatric disorder increases the likelihood that a person with IBS will seek treatment. However, recent data show that IBS and psychiatric disorders are linked regardless of the condition for which they seek treatment.