Abstract
Irritable bowel syndrome is a common disorder ingastroenterology consultations. Our objectives were toassess patients' psychic functioning, the relationshipsbetween psychopathology and pain, the degree of psychopathology in constipated and diarrheicsubgroups, and if previous abdominal surgery was relatedto pain intensity. Forty-five gastroenterologicaloutpatients, both sexes, were studied. Patients were grouped as predominantly constipated,predominantly diarrheic, or alternating constipation anddiarrhea. After diagnosis, patients had: Psychologisthalf-guided interviews, Bender Visuomotor Gestalt Test, Hammer Graphic Tests, and RorschachPsychodiagnostic Tests. The last one showed that 78%suffered from distortion in reality perception; 100%thought away from reality and had a deficit inorganizing capability, synthesis, and integration. Withinpsychological gnosiology, these patients would bediagnosed as borderline personalities and this wouldimply an overlapping of neurotic and psychoticfunctioning. Affective vulnerability and overadjustment toenvironment were found, and this finding is an originalone to the best of our knowledge.
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Slepoy, V.D., Pezzotto, S.M., Kraier, L. et al. Irritable Bowel Syndrome (Clinical and Psychopathological Correlations). Dig Dis Sci 44, 1008–1012 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026672917097
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026672917097