Sixty-six patients suffering from meteorism were investigated for symptoms of anxiety and depression, and given Zung's self-rating Depression Scale (SDS). Zung's SDS was also administered to 66 apparently healthy control subjects, age, sex and social class matched with the patients suffering from meteorism. 52 (78.8%) of the 66 patients with meteorism presented a depressive syndrome. In 45 (86.5%) of the 52 patients who presented a depressive syndrome, this was associated with symptoms of anxiety. Levels of depression obtained with Zung's SDS in the patients with meteorism were significantly higher than the ones obtained in the apparently healthy control subjects. Fourteen of the 52 patients with a depressive syndrome and meteorism presented one or more episodes of spontaneous remission or definite improvement: with the exception of what happened to 1 of these 14 patients, who experimented remission of the depressive syndrome but not of meteorism, whenever the depressive syndrome remitted or improved, meteorism remitted or improved in a parallel fashion. 24 (85.7%) of 28 patients with a depressive syndrome and meteorism, who were treated with tricyclic antidepresants or combinations of antidepressants and minor tranquilizers, and who came back to control, showed a very good response to treatment from the psychic as well as from the digestive point of view. The above expressed facts seem to confirm the idea that meteorism is a manifestation of the depressive syndrome, which is of great importance, as the use of tricyclic antidepressants may definitely help in the management of that up to the present, poorly understood digestive problem.