title: Irritable bowel syndrome and somatoform disorders.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This article aims to review the conceptual and empirical relation of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and somatoform disorders (SFDs).
  
  
  METHODS
  The method used is a narrative review that is partially based on discussions held at a symposium with the same topic in March 2007.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The conceptual distance between IBS and SFDs has diminished due to developments of both concepts. There is widespread agreement about the existence of syndrome patterns restricted to core IBS and also characterized by multiple unexplained symptoms and additional psychobehavioral features. Current concepts for etiology, pathophysiology, and management reflect the usefulness, the common ground, and the need for differentiation between these two prototypes. An umbrella category such as "interface disorders" between general medicine and psychiatry and wider descriptive frameworks like somatization and medically unexplained symptoms might be useful.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Further elaboration with an aim of abolishing counterproductive double perspectives on the same group of patients seems warranted.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität, Munich, Germany. p.henningsen@tum.de
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Henningsen
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Herzog
mesh_terms: D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D043183:Irritable Bowel Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*