About 1 in 10 people in the UK - mostly women - suffer from IBS. The University of Southampton shows that there is a link with perfectionist tendencies.

 Dr Rona Moss-Morris, who led the research, said: "We found people's beliefs about their symptoms, how anxious they got and their behaviour were all important".

She added: "These are people who have high expectations of always doing the right thing - and going off work goes against their beliefs."  Such people try to remain active and may go back to work too soon, she said.

Cognitive behavioural therapy helps people to manage unachievable expectations, such as perfectionism, where failure feels such a disaster. CBT is the gold standard treatment for anxiety and is recommended by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence. And CBT with hypnosis works to reduce the severity of IBS symptoms, and to help you to manage pain and your feelings about your pain. Not all pain involves suffering. Click here to link to the International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders, who have lots of useful advice.