Abstract
The purposes of this study were to survey the current state of treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and to examine effectiveness of psychotherapy by reviewing trends in treatment studies on IBS during the last 12 years (1985-1996) . As results of searching literature, 66 treatment studies in the Western countries and 9 treatment studies in Japan were found. Major results were as follows : (1) a total of 66 treatment studies in the Western countries were classified into either pharmacological, dietary, or psychological treatment; (2) psychotherapies included cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) , relaxation training, cognitive therapy, bowel sound biofeedback, and hypnotherapy; (3) all types of psychotherapies except bowel sound biofeedback had been shown to be superior to control conditions; (4) effectiveness of CBT or brief psychodynamic therapy with pharmacological treatment were at least equivalent to that of pharmacological treatment alone; (5) only cognitive therapy had been shown to be superior to placebo control condition; and (6) behavioral techniques, especially for anxiety, were applied to IBS patients with social maladjustment, although no particular psychotherapy was dominant in Japan . Finally, it was pointed out that control studies are needed also in Japan to establish effective treatment for Japanese IBS patients.
