Cognitive Behavioral Therapy With Our Without Exposure Therapy for Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Patients with a diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are recruited by self-referral. They are randomized to two 10 weeks of internet-delivered cognitive behavioral programs. Both programs include mindfulness training, education about how excessive avoidant and control behaviors maintain IBS symptoms, and changing of these behaviors to live a richer life. One of the programs also includes instructions on how to perform systematic exposure. The hypothesis of the study is while both groups will show improvement in terms of IBS symptom severity and quality of life, the addition of systematic exposure will lead to more improvement in symptoms.

10 week internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy, including mindfulness training, education about the negative effects of excessive avoidance and control behaviors on IBS symptoms and quality of life, and guided behavioral change aiming to increase quality of life and flexibility.

10 week internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy, including mindfulness training, education about the negative effects of excessive avoidance and control behaviors on IBS symptoms and quality of life, guided behavioral change aiming to increase quality of life and flexibility, and systematic exposure to IBS symptoms and aversive situations.

Inclusion Criteria: Fluency in Swedish IBS-diagnosis established by physician Fulfillment of Rome III criteria for IBS Exclusion Criteria: Diarrhea predominance with no colonoscopy performed Blood in stool without benign medical explanation Rapid weight loss without benign medical explanation Ongoing alcohol or drug abuse Suicidal ideation

Wallen H, Lindfors P, Andersson E, Hedman-Lagerlof E, Hesser H, Lindefors N, Svanborg C, Ljotsson B. Return on investment of internet delivered exposure therapy for irritable bowel syndrome: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Gastroenterol. 2021 Jul 13;21(1):289. doi: 10.1186/s12876-021-01867-6.