Anxiety-depressive disorders among irritable bowel syndrome patients in Guilan, Iran

In a cross-sectional study, 256 IBS patients were selected (using the criteria of Rome III) and evaluated for psychiatric disorders. In the first phase, subjects were screened using the General Health Questionnaire 28 (GHQ28). In the second phase, those who had scores ≥ 23 were assessed through semi-structured psychiatric interviews.Thirty out of 256 subjects had no significant psychiatric symptoms after performing GHQ28. In further psychiatric evaluation of the remaining subjects (226) who suffered from some degree of a psychiatric problem, 36 were diagnosed without Anxiety/Depressive disorder. Thus 66 subjects (25.8%) were known as a group without any significant psychiatric problem. A total of 190 subjects (74.2%) with anxiety-depressive problems were diagnosed; 89 were suffering from pure anxiety disorders, 41 were suffering from depressive disorders and 60 had co-morbid anxiety-depressive disorders. When comparing anxiety-depressive patients (n = 190) with normal subjects (n = 66), gender (P = 0.016), occupation (P = 0.002) and intensity of IBS (P < 0.001) showed statistically significant differences.The high prevalence of anxiety-depressive disorders in this study indicates the necessity of psychiatric assessment, early diagnosis and treatment of the patients with IBS. It may improve management of the patients suffering from IBS.Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a malfunction of the intestine that is characterized by abdominal pain and/or abdominal discomfort and changes in bowel habits without any detected structural disorders. Ten to twenty percent of adults and teenagers worldwide have some signs of IBS. It is more common in females and less common in the elderly (more than 60 years old). Less than one-third of these patients visit practitioners, which accounts for about 12% of primary care visits. The severity of symptoms is varied and it may have some effects on patient quality of life and increases healthcare costs [1]. The pathophysiology of IBS is stil