CBT best to treat IBS?

News release from the National Coordinating Centre for Health Technology Assessment

7 September 2005

Research commissioned by the HTA programme into the effectiveness of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) for the treatment of IBS has hit the headlines in the BMJ and general practice newspaper Pulse. The study, which is set for publication in the HTA monograph series in January 2006, involved IBS sufferers across 10 general practices, aiming to establish whether treatment with early CBT is advantageous over usual treatment with mebeverine hydrochloride. The research team concluded that CBT delivered in general practice can be effective at reducing symptoms of IBS, with CBT given by practice nurses offering ‘additional benefit over mebeverine alone’ and producing ‘substantial short- and medium- term improvement in symptoms.'

“The message is there are a number of ways of treating IBS,” says lead researcher Professor Roger Jones. “Even though the illness may have a physical root cause, it may be made worse by psychological factors.”

‘Cognitive behavioural therapy versus antispasmodic therapy for irritable bowel syndrome in primary care’ is due for publication in Health Technology Assessment, the internationally acclaimed journal of the HTA programme, in January 2006 (this date is provisional and subject to change). For more information visit http://www.hta.ac.uk/project/1091.asp or view the article online at http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/331/7514/435

Notes for editors


  1. The HTA programme is a programme of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and produces high quality research information about the effectiveness, costs, and broader impact of health technologies for those who use, manage and provide care in the NHS. It is the largest of the NIHR programmes and publishes the results of its research in the Health Technology Assessment journal, with more than 400 issues published to date. The journal’s 2007 Impact Factor (3.87) ranked it in the top 10 per cent of medical and health-related journals. All issues are available for download free of charge from the website, www.hta.ac.uk The HTA programme is coordinated by the National Coordinating Centre for Health Technology Assessment (NCCHTA), based at the University of Southampton.
  2. The National Institute for Health Research provides the framework through which the research staff and research infrastructure of the NHS in England is positioned, maintained and managed as a national research facility.  The NIHR provides the NHS with the support and infrastructure it needs to conduct first-class research funded by the Government and its partners alongside high-quality patient care, education and training.  Its aim is to support outstanding individuals (both leaders and collaborators), working in world class facilities (both NHS and university), conducting leading edge research focused on the needs of patients. www.nihr.ac.uk

Contact details

Naomi Stockley, Programme Manager (Communications)
Telephone: 02380 595 646, Email: ns5@soton.ac.uk

Helen Nikandrou, Assistant Programme Manager (Communications)
Telephone: 02380 595 584, Email: h.nikandrou@soton.ac.uk

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