The instability of the clinical manifestations of functional dyspepsia is notorious. This instability is manifested in two forms: temporal instability and circumstantial instability. It is probably in the latter context that stress and other psychological factors influence the symptoms of dyspepsia. It is conceivable that, after all, most dyspeptic patients manage to get by thanks to the concerted beneficial action of physician reassurance, placebo effects, drug effects, and spontaneous improvement.