A University graduate student has been studying the cause and possible treatment of two common stress-related disorders by helping people help themselves.

For the past year, Richard Shadick, a doctoral candidate in clinical psychology, has been conducting support groups for people who suffer from tension headaches and Irritable Bowel Syndrome as a part of his minor in health psychology.

Tension headaches affect nearly everyone and are caused by constricting muscles around the head. They differ from migraine headaches, which are less common and caused by tightened blood vessels in the brain, he said.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or IBS, is commonly diagnosed by many medical doctors and is characterized by a variety of gastrointestinal complaints. Both disorders can stem from physical or psychological problems and can strike anyone, regardless of age, sex or profession.

Shadick concentrates on those cases that have psychological origins.

"The people involved in the program have no medical cause for their disorder," Shadick said. "They have been frustrated by the medical community. The support group is especially beneficial for tension headache or IBS patients because medical doctors typically don't have overwhelming success with these cases."

Although the psychological root of these conditions is often unclear, Shadick said stress is a primary cause as well as depression, anxiety and mood disorders.

Through word-of-mouth or by notices posted around campus, people who contact Shadick are asked to complete a structured interview providing information about their medical and psychological background. He said this data helps him assess whether these people experience specific types of difficulties. Isolating the specific psychological factors that result in the disorders is the first step in discovering an effective treatment for these problems, he said.

After the initial interview, Shadick organizes groups of about 10 patients to meet once a week for two weeks in the Psychological Clinic in Moore Building. During these informal sessions, he facilitates discussions between patients sharing common experiences.

One IBS patient who participated in Shadick's program said the group helped her. Although she had previously consulted medical doctors about her problem, "a lot of doctors don't really understand it," she said. "Some don't even know what it is.

he said the most beneficial part of the program for her was being able to share her experiences with others.

"It made me aware that I wasn't the only person dealing with the problem," she said.

Shadick said since its inception, about six groups have completed the program.