ABSTRACT
For the people who have this illness there are social and psychological dimensions to the disease far beyond the pathology of the specific lesion. The ability to function socially can be severely undermined. Episodes of unpredictable diarrhoea punctuate all life’s activities: from eating, through sleeping, to sex. Life may, at times, literally revolve around going to the toilet, or at least being near a toilet in case the need to evacuate arises. The unpredictability of the diarrhoea may render even an otherwise innocuous situation terrifying. A simple stroll in the country, a journey on a bus, a weekend away at friends can all be ruined, not only by the diarrhoea but also by the fear that it might overtake the person at any moment and cause mess and embarrassment.
