She says: “For years I have been battling recurring constipation, abdominal pain and bloating. Go ahead and laugh. We laugh because we're embarrassed. In order for us to get relief, we have to talk about our symptoms and stop suffering in silence. “I have tried nearly everything: changing my diet and watching what I ate. I exercised regularly. I even tried taking fiber supplements and over-the-counter laxatives, but nothing helped with all of my symptoms.

“My doctor used to tell me it was all emotional and psychological. So I got a new doctor. And a year and a half ago, I was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome with constipation. It was a huge relief to find out that my IBS with constipation was not all in my head and that it was a treatable medical condition. My doctor prescribed Zelnorm and it has provided me with relief for all my symptoms. In a lot of ways, I feel like my old self again.”

And good for her! I think that many IBS sufferers will identify with what she says: from embarrassing, unmentionable symptoms to doctors who insist that our bowel problems are really in our heads.

We may identify less with her relief from one drug alone (although new drugs Zelnorm and Lotronex have had a good success rate in America), but we could all benefit from talking more openly with our doctors and looking for more solutions rather than accepting that IBS will rule our lives.

What Cybill Shepherd has done, though, is more than just draw attention to fact that IBS sufferers need more help. Just by revealing that she is an IBS sufferer she has shown that IBS can affect anyone. Here is a glamorous, successful actress, someone who has kissed Bruce Willis and won three Golden Globes, saying that she has trouble with her bowels.

The power of celebrity

In these celebrity-soaked times it can be easy to forget that famous people sometimes achieve genuinely selfless and compassionate things just by using their fame. The greatest power that they have is ability to shine light of their stardom on an issue which would otherwise have been ignored.

And yes, issue may sometimes be whatever cause is most fashionable at time - “Gay whales against racism” as one satirist put it – or one which helps star more than people (or whales) who are suffering. But sometimes there is no doubt that celeb has really stuck their neck out to help others who are dealing with an issue that is considered untouchable.

Since beginning of mankind, mental illness has played a role in our society. Victims of such illnesses have been outcast, stereotyped and often ridiculed. However, over time, medical and psychiatric science advanced and medical community became more knowledgeable of these conditions.

It wasn’t until 20th century when scientists began to experiment with certain chemicals that would alleviate symptoms caused by neurological disorders such as schizophrenia. These drugs are called antipsychotics and they block certain chemical receptors in brain. At first these drugs were praised in medical community, however case studies began to show that long term effects of these drugs caused patients to develop serious coordination problems. Since benefits often times outweighed risks, doctors continued to prescribe these drugs to their patients.