Patients with inflammatory bowel disease will likely benefit from a holistic approach that includes psychological therapy, according to a recent white paper from the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA). Details of the paper include the following:

• A systematic review and meta-analysis of 1,824 studies, which included 14 RCTs that compared a control population to patients receiving psychotherapy, found that addressing patients’ mental and emotional issues yielded short-term benefits.
• The same literature review found that psychotherapy had less of an impact on long-term disease activity.
• AGA emphasized that psychotherapy should not be viewed as a substitute for effective medical therapy but would be of substantial value when combined with it.