You may not have heard the term irritable bowel syndrome, but you have certainly heard of spastic colitis which is exactly the same. Some may even suffer from this unpleasant condition. The irritable bowel syndrome is condition which manifests in a plethora of symptoms.
The most basic of which are:
Stomach cramps, usually after a meal, that are relieved after using th toilet, constipation or diarrhea, bloating, flatulence, occasionally urgent need to use the bathroom and feeling like you haven’t fully emptied your bowel.
Other symptoms include: backache, tiredness and lack of energy, bladder problems and joint pain.
The frequency and severity of the symptomatology of IBS can put a burden on daily life; thus, the condition often affects the psychological health of the people suffering from it. At the same time, a negative psychological state can cause an irritable bowel syndrome flare-up. Mental health and IBS appear to be bidirectional.
How irritable bowel syndrome affects mood
Irritable bowel syndrome can have serious implication in life quality. The symptoms do not only cause pain and discomfort, but often negatively affect social and work life. Patients often avoid social gatherings since they find it discomforting to deal with stomach cramps, flatulence and pain that may appear after eating. In addition, they may feel less productive at work due to the symptomatology and the frequent trips to the bathroom. These are just few of the ways the irritable bowel syndrome can affect mood.
Research has shown that patients are more susceptible to mental health disorders, such as anxiety disorders and depression. More specifically, these disorders are shown to affect 50-94% of patients with irritable bowel syndrome. And this is mainly due to the emotional discomfort that the symptomatology can lead to.
How mood affects irritable bowel syndrome
Of the patients who are co-morbidly suffer from irritable bowel syndrome and a psychological disorder, the psychological disorder diagnosis has preceded the irritable vowel syndrome diagnosis. Therefore, mood is possible to impose a strong effect in the development and the severity of the symptomatology of the irritable bowel syndrome. Stress appears to be a major factor in the emergence of this syndrome; the mechanism however has not been identified yet.
The exact cause of irritable bowel syndrome is still unclear. It is uncertain if mental health factors cause the development of the condition or if the condition is responsible for the prevalence of psychological disorders. There are many people who suffer from irritable bowel syndrome but don’t have mental health disorders and vice-versa.
Often, irritable bowel syndrome flare-ups are connected to specific foods and that leads to diet restrictions and, possibly, malnutrition. If you suffer from irritable bowel syndrome, it would be a good idea -besides a dietary consultation, to make sure that no deeper psychological reason that is related to your mental health is relevant to the condition -especially if the symptoms do not seem to subside.