Because every delay, every dismissal, every missed opportunity for care has a human cost, and that’s the crisis we must address first.

We have to start treating this as a multi-factorial issue—one that requires coordination across specialties, attention to mental health, and a system that recognizes the person, not just the disease.

This is a quality-of-life crisis. The physical toll is only part of the story; the emotional exhaustion, financial strain, and loss of trust in the system compound over time, leaving patients isolated and defeated.

I recently heard about a patient whose symptoms had gone untreated for so long, and whose pain was so poorly understood, that they expressed feeling suicidal. No one should ever reach that point.

4/4 By removing ambiguous or pejorative steps from diagnostic algorithms, we can empower patients, improve trust, and ensure timely, compassionate care. Diagnosis should clarify and guide treatment—not add to the burden patients already carry.

3/4 Instead, clinicians should rely on established guidelines that allow a positive diagnosis of IBS based on symptoms rather than exclusion or subjective measures.

2/4 Emotional distress is common in both IBS and IBD, and using it as a diagnostic discriminator is neither evidence-based nor clinically helpful.

1/4 For example, including “negative emotions” to differentiate IBS from IBD can unintentionally shame patients, delay care, and perpetuate misconceptions that IBS isn’t a real disease.