Is the reason why you have terrible stomach problems the
result of your childhood trauma? Are you literally worrying yourself sick to
the point of diarrhea or constipation? This study focuses on anxiety and
depression with the connection of irritable bowel syndrome.
As someone who
suffers from both IBS and mental health issues, this topic is very fascinating
to me.
Irritable bowel syndrome, most commonly referred to as IBS,
is a chronic disorder described by abdominal pain or discomfort and change in
bowel habits in the deficiency of an organic disorder. IBS is very common. In
fact, 4% - 22% of the general population have it, and it is the reason for
30-50% of gastroenterologist visits.
IBS is a result of the interaction from the central nervous
system, which means there are various psychological factors as well as changed
intestinal motility and sensitivity. This study claims that traumatic life
events have a connection with IBS such as sexual abuse.
This study was performed at the Department of
Gastroenterology, School of Digestive and Liver Diseases Hospital, Kolkata in
India. This made the study unusual in that it pursued a link between IBS and
psychological disorders in a developing country to see if there are associations
in the non-western societies as well.
50 patients between the ages of 18 and 65 took part in the
study. There were also 50 healthy controls who did not have IBS or any other GI
symptoms. The healthy controls were matched with the affected patients so that
there was the same number of men and women in the groups as well as the same
ages. The subjects with IBS were divided into groups based on severity labeled
as mild, moderate, or severe according to the Irritable Bowel Syndrome Severity
Scoring Scale. Patients were then assessed for the presence of mental illness
and anxiety or depression based on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety and
Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression. These are 15-20 minute interviews based
on a list of 21 questions that are given by a qualified clinician. Topics of
the questions include guilt, sadness, suicide, agitation and insomnia.
The mean age of both the case group and control group was 37
years old. 74% of the groups were male, with 26% female. The male predominance
of this study may have been because of differing patterns of going to the
doctor because the study was in India and the healthcare system is different
than in the US.
Among the patients
with IBS, anxiety was responsible for just under half of the group at 44%, and
depression was at a staggering 84%. In the healthy control group, only 8% of
them had anxiety and only 6% of the subjects had depression.
Even though the sample size for this study is considered to
be small, there still proves to be an association not only between anxiety and depression,
but also the second shortcoming order of cause and effect with irritable bowel
syndrome. It is hard to determine this but the link is definitely still there.
Even so, since India (and other 3rd world countries) has a very
different culture than the US, there may be links between not only psychological
factors, but also their diet.
The reason for so many visits to the
gastroenterologist doctor usually accounts for irritable bowel syndrome. It
takes a toll on many people in society. It is very important to recognize and
be able to treat irritable bowel syndrome, as well as many other GI issues, in
order to live a better quality of life. Screening for anxiety and depression
and understanding that there may be a connection between the two is a
groundbreaking find in the medical world. We all may have different stressors
depending on where we live around the globe, but ultimately everyone has the
same effect.
References:
Hamilton Depression Rating Scale
(HAM-D). (n.d.). Retrieved April 09, 2018, from Learn
More Here
Kabra, N., & Nadkarni, A. (2013).
Prevalence of depression and anxiety in irritable bowel syndrome: A clinic
based study from India. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 55(1),
77–80. Learn
More Here
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