I read with interest the article on Irritable Bowel Syndrome or IBS (How people with IBS can look after their mental wellbeing, The Press, March 31).

The article concentrated on the mental well-being of sufferers, and had little to say about the causes of IBS, or how it can be headed off. Here I speak from experience.

IBS is a matter of very painful cramps in the lower abdomen brought on by a peculiar reaction to stress. Some years ago it struck me at the end of a summer school in which I teach. I had had a stressful summer, and was further stressed by the prospect of teaching a new and prestigious course. At the school I found the energy and concentration to do the job. At the end of the final day I felt I could relax. But that night I was assailed by savage abdominal pains that kept me awake all night. By the morning I was shattered.

A few days later I told all of this to my doctor. At once he diagnosed IBS, and said that it often occurs after a period of stress, followed by a sudden relaxation. For me, the drug Mebiverine helps, heading off IBS before it can really take hold.

If other people suffer IBS, I suggest they might trying ask their doctor if a prescription for Mebiverine.

David Martin, Rosedale Avenue, Acomb, York