NICE IBS guidance and hypnotherapy (CG61)

NICE CG61 (Irritable bowel syndrome in adults: diagnosis and management) is the UK IBS guideline. It discusses first-line diet and medicines, then psychological interventions (including hypnotherapy) when symptoms persist.

Key evidence

CG61 is guidance, not a trial. It sits on top of the RCT literature summarised in does hypnotherapy work for IBS, and Flik 2014. Referral language in CG61 is about people who remain symptomatic after initial medical and dietary care; aligned with the red-flag screen.

Do not cite NICE NG116 as IBS guidance. NG116 is about post-traumatic stress. An earlier draft bibliography in this cluster mis-labelled it. This page corrects that.

Australian care is not an NHS pathway. CG61 is cited because it is the recognised IBS document, not because it funds sessions here.

Limitations

Guideline committees update on their own timetable. Always read the live CG61 page.

What we don't know yet

How Australian payers should value GDH versus dietitian-led FODMAP is not answered by NICE.

This page is informational only. It is not personal medical advice.