Composite International Diagnostic Interview screening scales for DSM-IV anxiety and mood disorders.

BACKGROUND: Lack of coordination between screening studies for common mental disorders in primary care and community epidemiological samples impedes progress in clinical epidemiology. Short screening scales based on the World Health Organization (WHO) Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI), the diagnostic interview used in community epidemiological surveys throughout the world, were developed to address this problem. METHOD: Expert reviews and cognitive interviews generated CIDI screening scale (CIDI-SC) item pools for 30-day DSM-IV-TR major depressive episode (MDE), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder (PD) and bipolar disorder (BPD). These items were administered to 3058 unselected patients in 29 US primary care offices. Blinded SCID clinical reinterviews were administered to 206 of these patients, oversampling screened positives. RESULTS: Stepwise regression selected optimal screening items to predict clinical diagnoses. Excellent concordance [area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC)] was found between continuous CIDI-SC and DSM-IV/SCID diagnoses of 30-day MDE (0.93), GAD (0.88), PD (0.90) and BPD (0.97), with only 9-38 questions needed to administer all scales. CIDI-SC versus SCID prevalence differences are insignificant at the optimal CIDI-SC diagnostic thresholds (χ2 1 = 0.0-2.9, p = 0.09-0.94). Individual-level diagnostic concordance at these thresholds is substantial (AUC 0.81-0.86, sensitivity 68.0-80.2%, specificity 90.1-98.8%). Likelihood ratio positive (LR+) exceeds 10 and LR- is 0.1 or less at informative thresholds for all diagnoses. CONCLUSIONS: CIDI-SC operating characteristics are equivalent (MDE, GAD) or superior (PD, BPD) to those of the best alternative screening scales. CIDI-SC results can be compared directly to general population CIDI survey results or used to target and streamline second-stage CIDIs.

The INtegrating DEPrEssioN and Diabetes treatmENT (INDEPENDENT) study: Design and methods to address mental healthcare gaps in India.

INTRODUCTION: Depression and diabetes are highly prevalent worldwide and often co-exist, worsening outcomes for each condition. Barriers to diagnosis and treatment are exacerbated in low and middle-income countries with limited health infrastructure and access to mental health treatment. The INtegrating DEPrEssioN and Diabetes treatmENT (INDEPENDENT) study tests the sustained effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a multi-component care model for individuals with poorly-controlled diabetes and depression in diabetes clinics in India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Adults with diabetes, depressive symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 score≥10), and ≥1 poorly-controlled cardiometabolic indicator (either HbA1c≥8.0%, SBP≥140mmHg, and/or LDL≥130mg/dl) were enrolled and randomized to the intervention or usual care. The intervention combined collaborative care, decision-support, and population health management. The primary outcome is the between-arm difference in the proportion of participants achieving combined depression response (≥50% reduction in Symptom Checklist score from baseline) AND one or more of: ≥0.5% reduction in HbA1c, ≥5mmHg reduction in SBP, or ≥10mg/dl reduction in LDL-c at 24months (12-month intervention; 12-month observational follow-up). Other outcomes include control of individual parameters, patient-centered measures (i.e. treatment satisfaction), and cost-effectiveness. RESULTS: The study trained seven care coordinators. Participant recruitment is complete - 940 adults were screened, with 483 eligible, and 404 randomized (196 to intervention; 208 to usual care). Randomization was balanced across clinic sites. CONCLUSIONS: The INDEPENDENT model aims to increase access to mental health care and improve depression and cardiometabolic disease outcomes among complex patients with diabetes by leveraging the care provided in diabetes clinics in India (clinicaltrials.gov number: NCT02022111).

Disability and depression among high utilizers of health care. A longitudinal analysis.

We evaluated, among depressed medical patients who are high utilizers of health care, whether improved vs unimproved depression is associated with differences in the course of functional disability. At baseline, 6 months, and 12 months, depression and disability were assessed among a sample of enrollees in health maintenance organizations (N = 145) in the top decile of users of ambulatory health care who exceeded the 70th percentile of health maintenance organization population norms for depression. Improved depression was defined as a reduction of at least one third in depressive symptoms averaged across the two follow-up times. At the 12-month follow-up, persons with severe-improved depression experienced a 36% reduction in disability days (79 days per year to 51 days per year) and a 45% reduction in disability score. Persons with moderate-improved depression experienced a 72% reduction in disability days (62 days per year to 18 days per year) and a 40% reduction in disability score. In contrast, persons with severe-unimproved depression reported 134 disability days per year at baseline, while persons with moderate-unimproved depression reported 77 disability days per year at baseline. Neither group with unimproved depression showed improvement in either disability days or disability score during the 1-year follow-up period. High utilizers of health care with severe-unimproved depression were more likely to have current major depression and to be unemployed. Improved (relative to unimproved) depression was associated with borderline differences in the severity of physical disease and in the percent married. We conclude that depression and disability showed synchrony in change over time. However, depression and disability may show synchrony in change with disability because both depression and disability are controlled by some other factor that influences the chronicity of depression (eg, chronic disease or personality disorder). The finding of synchronous change of depression and disability provides a rationale for randomized controlled trials of depression treatments among depressed and disabled medical patients to determine whether psychiatric intervention might improve functional status in such patients. Such research is needed to determine whether there is a causal relationship between depression offset and reductions in functional disability.

A randomized effectiveness trial of collaborative care for patients with panic disorder in primary care.

BACKGROUND: Effectiveness studies have tested interventions to improve quality of care for depression in primary care, but none, to our knowledge, have been completed for panic disorder (PD) in this setting. This study sought to test the clinical effectiveness of PD pharmacotherapy embedded in a disease management framework of "collaborative care" (CC). METHODS: One hundred fifteen patients with PD from 3 primary care clinics were randomized to CC or "usual care" (UC). Patients in CC (n = 57) received educational videotapes and pamphlets; pharmacotherapy with the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor paroxetine; 2 psychiatrist visits and 2 telephone calls in the first 8 weeks; and up to 5 telephone calls between 3 and 12 months' follow-up. Usual care patients (n = 58) were treated by their primary care physician. Telephone assessments of panic, anxiety sensitivity, depression, and disability variables were performed at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months' follow-up. Adequacy of pharmacotherapy was assessed with an algorithm based on a review of efficacy studies. RESULTS: Patients in CC were more likely to receive adequate (type, dose, duration) medication and more likely to adhere to this medication at 3 and 6 months. Random regression analyses showed that CC patients improved significantly more over time compared with UC patients on anxiety, depression, and disability measures, with the greatest effects at 3 and 6 months. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with UC, CC interventions significantly improved both quality of care and clinical and functional outcomes in primary care PD patients. Clinical differences were greatest in the first 6 months, corresponding to the greater quality of care and the greater intensity of intervention.

Treating major depression in primary care practice: an update of the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research Practice Guidelines.

The Depression Guideline Panel of the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research in 1993 published recommendations for treating major depression in primary care practice that were often based on studies of tertiary care psychiatric patients. We reviewed reports of randomized controlled trials in primary care settings published between 1992 and 1998. This evidence indicates that both antidepressant pharmacotherapy and time-limited depression-targeted psychotherapies are efficacious when transferred from psychiatric to primary care settings. In most cases, the choice between these treatments should depend on patient preference. Studies to date suggest that improving treatment of depression in primary care requires properly organized treatment programs, regular patient follow-up, monitoring of treatment adherence, and a prominent role for the mental health specialist as educator, consultant, and clinician for the more severely ill. Future research should focus on how guidelines are best implemented in routine practice, since conventional dissemination strategies have little impact.

Two-year effects of quality improvement programs on medication management for depression.

BACKGROUND: Significant underuse of evidence-based treatments for depression persists in primary care. We examined the effects of 2 primary care-based quality improvement (QI) programs on medication management for depression. METHODS: A total of 1356 patients with depressive symptoms (60% with depressive disorders and 40% with subthreshold depression) from 46 primary care practices in 6 nonacademic managed care organizations were enrolled in a randomized controlled trial of QI for depression. Clinics were randomized to usual care or to 1 of 2 QI programs that involved training of local experts who worked with patients' regular primary care providers (physicians and nurse practitioners) to improve care for depression. In the QI-medications program, depression nurse specialists provided patient education and assessment and followed up patients taking antidepressants for up to 12 months. In the QI-therapy program, depression nurse specialists provided patient education, assessment, and referral to study-trained psychotherapists. RESULTS: Participants enrolled in both QI programs had significantly higher rates of antidepressant use than those in the usual care group during the initial 6 months of the study (52% in the QI-medications group, 40% in the QI-therapy group, and 33% in the usual care group). Patients in the QI-medications group had higher rates of antidepressant use and a reduction in long-term use of minor tranquilizers for up to 2 years, compared with patients in the QI-therapy or usual care group. CONCLUSIONS: Quality improvement programs for depression in which mental health specialists collaborate with primary care providers can substantially increase rates of antidepressant treatment. Active follow-up by a depression nurse specialist in the QI-medications program was associated with longer-term increases in antidepressant use than in the QI model without such follow-up.

A multifaceted intervention to improve treatment of depression in primary care.

BACKGROUND: This research study evaluates the effectiveness of a multifaceted intervention program to improve the management of depression in primary care. METHODS: One hundred fifty-three primary care patients with current depression were entered into a randomized controlled trial. Intervention patients received a structured depression treatment program in the primary care setting that included both behavioral treatment to increase use of adaptive coping strategies and counseling to improve medication adherence. Control patients received "usual" care by their primary care physicians. Outcome measures included adherence to antidepressant medication, satisfaction with care of depression and with antidepressant treatment, and reduction of depressive symptoms over time. RESULTS: At 4-month follow-up, significantly more intervention patients with major and minor depression than usual care patients adhered to antidepressant medication and rated the quality of care they received for depression as good to excellent. Intervention patients with major depression demonstrated a significantly greater decrease in depression severity over time compared with usual care patients on all 4 outcome analyses. Intervention patients with minor depression were found to have a significant decrease over time in depression severity on only 1 of 4 study outcome analyses compared with usual care patients. CONCLUSION: A multifaceted primary care intervention improved adherence to antidepressant regimens and satisfaction with care in patients with major and minor depression. The intervention consistently resulted in more favorable depression outcomes among patients with major depression, while outcome effects were ambiguous among patients with minor depression.

A randomized trial of relapse prevention of depression in primary care.

BACKGROUND: Despite high rates of relapse and recurrence, few primary care patients with recurrent or chronic depression are receiving continuation and maintenance-phase treatment. We hypothesized that a relapse prevention intervention would improve adherence to antidepressant medication and improve depression outcomes in high-risk patients compared with usual primary care. METHODS: Three hundred eighty-six patients with recurrent major depression or dysthymia who had largely recovered after 8 weeks of antidepressant treatment by their primary care physicians were randomized to a relapse prevention program (n = 194) or usual primary care (n = 192). Patients in the intervention group received 2 primary care visits with a depression specialist and 3 telephone visits over a 1-year period aimed at enhancing adherence to antidepressant medication, recognition of prodromal symptoms, monitoring of symptoms, and development of a written relapse prevention plan. Follow-up assessments were completed at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months by a telephone survey team blinded to randomization status. RESULTS: Those in the intervention group had significantly greater adherence to adequate dosage of antidepressant medication for 90 days or more within the first and second 6-month periods and were significantly more likely to refill medication prescriptions during the 12-month follow-up compared with usual care controls. Intervention patients had significantly fewer depressive symptoms, but not fewer episodes of relapse/recurrence over the 12-month follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: A relapse prevention program targeted to primary care patients with a high risk of relapse/recurrence who had largely recovered after antidepressant treatment significantly improved antidepressant adherence and depressive symptom outcomes.

Costs of health care use by women HMO members with a history of childhood abuse and neglect.

BACKGROUND: Early childhood maltreatment has been associated with adverse adult health outcomes, but little is known about the magnitude of adult health care use and costs that accompany maltreatment. We examined differences in annual health care use and costs in women with and without histories of childhood sexual, emotional, or physical abuse or neglect. METHODS: A random sample of 1225 women members of a health maintenance organization completed a 22-page questionnaire inquiring into childhood maltreatment experiences as measured by the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Health care costs and use data were obtained from the automated cost-accounting system of the health maintenance organization, including total costs, outpatient and primary care costs, and emergency department visits. RESULTS: Women who reported any abuse or neglect had median annual health care costs that were $97 (95% confidence interval, $0.47-$188.26) greater than women who did not report maltreatment. Women who reported sexual abuse had median annual health care costs that were $245 (95% confidence interval, $132.32-$381.93) greater than costs among women who did not report abuse. Women with sexual abuse histories had significantly higher primary care and outpatient costs and more frequent emergency department visits than women without these histories. CONCLUSION: Although the absolute cost differences per year per woman were relatively modest, the large number of women in the population with these experiences suggests that the total costs to society are substantial.

Stepped collaborative care for primary care patients with persistent symptoms of depression: a randomized trial.

BACKGROUND: Despite improvements in the accuracy of diagnosing depression and use of medications with fewer side effects, many patients treated with antidepressant medications by primary care physicians have persistent symptoms. METHODS: A group of 228 patients recognized as depressed by their primary care physicians and given antidepressant medication who had either 4 or more persistent major depressive symptoms or a score of 1.5 or more on the Hopkins Symptom Checklist depression items at 6 to 8 weeks were randomized to a collaborative care intervention (n = 114) or usual care (n = 114) by the primary care physician. Patients in the intervention group received enhanced education and increased frequency of visits by a psychiatrist working with the primary care physician to improve pharmacologic treatment. Follow-up assessments were completed at 1, 3, and 6 months by a telephone survey team blinded to randomization status. RESULTS: Those in the intervention group had significantly greater adherence to adequate dosage of medication for 90 days or more and were more likely to rate the quality of care they received for depression as good to excellent compared with usual care controls. Intervention patients showed a significantly greater decrease compared with usual care controls in severity of depressive symptoms over time and were more likely to have fully recovered at 3 and 6 months. CONCLUSIONS: A multifaceted program targeted to patients whose depressive symptoms persisted 6 to 8 weeks after initiation of antidepressant medication by their primary care physician was found to significantly improve adherence to antidepressants, satisfaction with care, and depressive outcomes compared with usual care.

Chronic fatigue syndrome criteria. A critique of the requirement for multiple physical complaints.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that the patients with chronic fatigue who have the highest number of medically unexplained physical symptoms over their lifetime would also have the highest prevalence of current and lifetime affective and anxiety disorders, lifetime affective symptoms, and the most functional disability. A further goal was to use this information to modify the current case definition to better identify a subgroup of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome who are less likely to have psychiatric illness. DESIGN: Two hundred eighty-five consecutive patients with chronic fatigue were interviewed with the National Institute of Mental Health Diagnostic Interview Schedule and completed four self-rating questionnaires measuring psychologic distress, functional disability, and the tendency to amplify symptoms. Based on previously published data, patients were divided into four groups with a progressively higher number of lifetime medically unexplained physical symptoms. The prevalence of current and lifetime psychiatric disorders, lifetime psychologic symptoms, and extent of functional impairment was then compared in these four groups of patients. MAIN RESULTS: The prevalence of current and lifetime psychiatric diagnosis and lifetime depressive symptoms increased linearly with the number of lifetime physical symptoms that the patient experienced. The extent of impairment in activities of daily living and the tendency to amplify symptoms also increased linearly with the number of medically unexplained physical symptoms. CONCLUSION: The patients with the highest numbers of medically unexplained physical symptoms had extraordinarily high rates of current and lifetime psychiatric disorders. These data suggest that the current case definition for chronic fatigue syndrome inadvertently selects for patients with the highest prevalence of lifetime psychiatric diagnoses. A recommendation based on these results is to modify the case criteria for chronic fatigue syndrome to include patients with fatigue and few physical symptoms and to identify and consider excluding patients with high numbers of physical complaints.

Tricyclic antidepressant therapy for peptic ulcer disease.

The role of tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) as agents for treatment of peptic ulcer disease is of growing interest. In both placebo-controlled clinical trials and comparative studies with cimetidine, TCAs have proved effective and safe as ulcer-healing agents. The mechanism of action by which TCAs produce healing has not been fully elucidated. In vivo studies in man have generally shown that TCAs decrease gastric acid secretion. In addition to their well-known anticholinergic properties, in vitro studies have indicated potent H1- and H2-receptor blocking activities for these agents. Separate from these effects on acid output, the antipain/depression effect of TCAs may be of benefit in certain patients with ulcers. Other advantages of these agents include their long half-lives, low cost, and readily available serum monitoring. Further clinical studies with detailed physiologic and psychologic observations and serum monitoring using TCAs in patients with peptic ulcer disease are needed.

A randomized trial of nortriptyline for severe chronic tinnitus. Effects on depression, disability, and tinnitus symptoms.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the antidepressant, nortriptyline, is effective for treatment of depression, tinnitus-related disability, and tinnitus symptoms in patients with severe chronic tinnitus. DESIGN: A 12-week, double-blind, randomized controlled trial. SETTING: A university otolaryngology clinic. PATIENTS: Ninety-two subjects with severe chronic tinnitus: 38 with current major depression and 54 with depressive symptoms and significant tinnitus-related disability. INTERVENTION: Nortriptyline (maintained at 50 to 150 mg/mL for 6 weeks) or placebo. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Tinnitus Disability Measures, and Audiometric Measures. RESULTS: Nortriptyline was superior to placebo by multivariate analysis of covariance for depression (10.6 vs 14.3 final Hamilton Depression score), for tinnitus-related disability (1.8 vs 2.4 final MPI Tinnitus Interference), and tinnitus loudness (13.6 vs 20.0 dB final loudness match [in worst ear at tinnitus frequency]). When major depression and depressive symptoms groups were considered separately, nortriptyline was superior to placebo on these same measures but differences did not achieve statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: The antidepressant nortriptyline decreases depression, functional disability, and tinnitus loudness associated with severe chronic tinnitus. What appears to be irreversible disability of otologic origin may, in part, be reversible disability of psychiatric origin.

Depression and diabetes: impact of depressive symptoms on adherence, function, and costs.

BACKGROUND: Depression is common among patients with chronic medical illness. We explored the impact of depressive symptoms in primary care patients with diabetes on diabetes self-care, adherence to medication regimens, functioning, and health care costs. METHODS: We administered a questionnaire to 367 patients with types 1 and 2 diabetes from 2 health maintenance organization primary care clinics to obtain data on demographics, depressive symptoms, diabetes knowledge, functioning, and diabetes self-care. On the basis of automated data, we measured medical comorbidity, health care costs, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA(1c)) levels, and oral hypoglycemic prescription refills. Using depressive symptom severity tertiles (low, medium, or high), we performed regression analyses to determine the impact of depressive symptoms on adherence to diabetes self-care and oral hypoglycemic regimens, HbA(1c) levels, functional impairment, and health care costs. RESULTS: Compared with patients in the low-severity depression symptom tertile, those in the medium- and high-severity tertiles were significantly less adherent to dietary recommendations. Patients in the high-severity tertile were significantly distinct from those in the low-severity tertile by having a higher percentage of days in nonadherence to oral hypoglycemic regimens (15% vs 7%); poorer physical and mental functioning; greater probability of having any emergency department, primary care, specialty care, medical inpatient, and mental health costs; and among users of health care within categories, higher primary (51% higher), ambulatory (75% higher), and total health care costs (86% higher). CONCLUSIONS: Depressive symptom severity is associated with poorer diet and medication regimen adherence, functional impairment, and higher health care costs in primary care diabetic patients. Further studies testing the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of enhanced models of care of diabetic patients with depression are needed. Arch Intern Med. 2000;160:3278-3285.

A prospective study of tender points and fibromyalgia during and after an acute viral infection.

BACKGROUND: Tender points (TPs) and fibromyalgia (FM) may be precipitated by infections, but the frequency, associated characteristics, and predictors of these outcomes are unknown. OBJECTIVES: To determine if acute infectious mononucleosis (AIM) is associated with the development of TPs or FM acutely or during the subsequent 6 months; if demographic, clinical, or psychosocial features predict TPs or FM; and if TPs or FM correlate with nonrecovery. METHODS: A total of 150 subjects diagnosed as having AIM were assessed with physical examinations (including palpation of 18 TPs), laboratory tests, and measures of psychosocial and somatic functioning at enrollment and at 2 and 6 months. Subjects also completed a structured psychiatric interview at the initial evaluation. RESULTS: At presentation and at 2 and 6 months, the mean TP counts were 7.5, 4.6, and 3.0, respectively; at these time points, 19%, 3%, and 1% of subjects also met modified criteria for FM. Tender points and degree of pain diminished over time following AIM. Acutely, TPs were associated only with higher temperature (P<.001). Baseline features that predicted more TPs at 2 and 6 months were female sex, older age, less family social support, and more TPs at presentation. Neither initial laboratory tests nor psychiatric disease or distress predicted TPs. Differences between those who had and had not recovered at 6 months were found for the mean number of TPs (P<.008), the proportion of subjects with 11 or more TPs (P<.002), and the degree of pain. CONCLUSIONS: Tender points are a common, transient finding associated with AIM, but FM is an unusual long-term outcome. Demographic, social, and physical examination features predicted TPs.

Atypical or nonanginal chest pain. Panic disorder or coronary artery disease?

Of 195 patients with atypical or nonanginal chest pain presenting in a cardiology clinic, 104 consented to be evaluated for anxiety disorders using a structured psychiatric interview. Thirty patients had histories of coronary artery disease (CAD). Fifty-nine patients in the sample (16 of those with CAD and 43 of those without CAD) fit diagnostic criteria for panic disorder (PD). Those without CAD and with PD were primarily women (mean age, 43 years) with predominantly nonanginal chest pain. Those patients with both CAD and PD were primarily men (mean age, 54 years) with predominantly atypical angina. Since PD has been shown to be readily responsive to pharmacologic intervention, this diagnosis should be considered in patients with atypical or nonanginal chest pain.

Psychiatric and otologic diagnoses in patients complaining of dizziness.

BACKGROUND: Dizziness is a common and disabling symptom in primary care practice, especially among the elderly. Though there are many organic causes of dizziness, the results of medical workups are negative in the majority of patients. METHODS: A total of 75 patients with dizziness who were referred to a community otolaryngology practice received a structured psychiatric diagnostic interview (National Institute of Mental Health Diagnostic Interview Schedule) and questionnaires that assessed psychological distress as well as a complete otologic evaluation, including electronystagmogram. Patients with evidence of a peripheral vestibular disorder were compared with those without such evidence. RESULTS: While psychiatric diagnoses were present in both those with and without evidence of a peripheral vestibular disorder, those without such evidence had a greater mean number of lifetime psychiatric diagnoses as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Revised Third Edition, and specifically, a greater lifetime prevalence of major depression and panic disorder. This group also more frequently met criteria for somatization disorder, had more current and lifetime unexplained medical symptoms, and had more severe current depressive, anxiety, and somatic symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Psychiatric diagnoses are common among patients with dizziness referred for otologic evaluation who do not show evidence of a peripheral vestibular disorder. Specific psychiatric disorders should be part of the differential diagnosis of patients who present with dizziness.

Treatment of depression in the medically ill elderly with methylphenidate.

Three depressed geriatric patients had a marked therapeutic response to the psychostimulant drug methylphenidate. These patients either had been unable to tolerate tricyclic antidepressants or had a medical illness that contraindicated tricyclic therapy. The lack of adverse effects in our elderly patients and methylphenidate's effectiveness as an antidepressant were consistent with the findings of other investigators. These results suggest that psychostimulants deserve further evaluation as antidepressant agents in the geriatric population.

Chronic pain: lifetime psychiatric diagnoses and family history.

Thirty-seven patients with chronic pain admitted to a 3-week inpatient pain program were interviewed using the NIMH Diagnostic Interview Schedule and the family history method. The most frequent psychiatric diagnoses were major depressive disorder (current episode = 32.4%, past episode = 43.2%) and alcohol abuse (40.5%). More than half of the patients had a history of one or more episodes of major depression and/or alcohol abuse before the onset of their chronic pain. Family history revealed that 59.5% of the patients had at least one first-degree family member with chronic pain, 29.7% had a family member with affective illness, and 37.8% had a family member with alcohol abuse.

Irritable bowel syndrome and psychiatric illness.

Psychiatric illnesses such as mood, anxiety, and somatization disorders share many common features with irritable bowel syndrome. The authors review recent developments in the definition of irritable bowel syndrome and its relationship to psychiatric illness, discuss the diagnostic validity of irritable bowel syndrome from several perspectives, and offer a pathophysiological model of irritable bowel syndrome that integrates many of the biological and psychosocial findings of earlier studies. Psychiatric evaluation appears to be an important factor in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with irritable bowel syndrome.