Abstract
The irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common problem encountered in primary medical clinics. Psychiatric comorbidity has been reportedly high in those settings. We investigated the prevalence of the IBS in generalized anxious and major depressive patients in an ambulatory psychiatric clinic. IBS was significantly more common in anxious and/or depressive patients than matched controls. Measures of psychiatric and gastrointestinal symptoms severities were closely related to one another suggesting that IBS is not solely specific to a single psychiatric condition, but rather a generic expression of global psychopathology. Early recognition of this relationship should contribute to less patient morbidity and greater heal care cost containment.