Abstract
Symptoms of psychological distress are seen in the majority of patients with gastrointestinal disorders, especially patients with irritable bowel syndrom (IBS) and “functional” dyspepsia. In irritable bowel syndrome, for example, 70% or more of patients recruited through medical clinics are found to score outside the normal range on standardized psychometric tests,1–11 and 72–100% are reported to have psychiatric disorders.2,12,13 A high proportion of patients with nonulcer dyspepsia14 and nonspecific esophageal motility disorders15 also are found to have psychiatric disorders. Psychological symptoms and abnormal personality traits are found with greater than expected frequency in peptic ulcer disease,16–18 chronic vomiting,19.20 and inflammatory bowel disease,3,21 although the association of psychological distress with these disorders is less consistent22 than for IBS and nonulcer dyspepsia.
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© 1989 Plenum Publishing Corporation
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Whitehead, W.E. (1989). Effects of Psychological Factors on Gastrointestinal Function. In: Snape, W.J. (eds) Pathogenesis of Functional Bowel Disease. Topics in Gastroenterology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-5694-3_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-5694-3_3
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
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