“How long does IBS last?”

It is by definition a chronic condition. It would not be surprising for it to last a lifetime.

Chronic recurring condition. Please make sure that celiac disease and other conditions have been ruled out first before they treat him for IBS.

Depending on how it's treated or what the patient does to help him / herself it can last a lifetime. Symptoms that are associated with IBS are typically caused when you're not producing enough enzymes to digest your food properly or don't have enough good bacteria in the gut. This happens as we age, when we are not eating the best diet in the world or if we are really stressed out. It's very easy to fix, however, taking a good healthy probiotic daily and an enzyme with every meal can help eliminate these symptoms very quickly.

IBS is a chronic condition that can be managed. It is not a “harmful” condition, although symptoms can be hard to deal with. Depression can cause this type of functional illness. IBS is associated with a childhood history of emotional, physical, or sexual abuse. This does not mean that this is the cause in your son, but it does mean that a good therapist will help and will also help to prevent him from “catastrophizing” his symptoms, and will help bring up anything your child might not be sharing with you. In short, IBS is not a serious illness and you should not condition your son to fear it. He may have lifelong symptoms, but they are treatable. He needs a mental health therapist to help him deal with symptoms and to determine if there is an underlying depression, anxiety, or abuse history.