The Role of Psychotherapy in the Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Irritable bowel syndrome is a common functional gastrointestinal disorder that greatly impacts on quality of life due to gastrointestinal complaints such as pain or altered stool habits. Based on the biopsychosocial model the severity of the disease is affected by the combination of physiological processes, social aspects and psychological factors. While treatment approaches mainly focused on the reduction of gut complaints by dietary means or medication, psychotherapy is becoming an alternative or additional approach with very good evidence, especially in light of associated psychiatric comorbidities (e.g. depression, anxiety disorder). Often psychiatric symptoms/comorbidities increase the probability of a complicated course of the disease with a reciprocal interaction of gut complaints and psychiatric symptoms. Behavioral therapy, psychodynamic psychotherapy, hypnotherapy, mindfulness interventions and other psychotherapeutic methods are used to increase coping as well as disease control and to restructure dysregulated cognitive processes. The current review focuses on psychosocial aspects of the irritable bowel syndrome and discusses the benefit of psychotherapeutic interventions.