Constipation is strongly linked to anxiety and other mental health conditions. While it's likely stress can make constipation worse, constipation may also increase your anxiety symptoms.
Constipation is a prevalent symptom in the psychiatric population, with a reported two-year period prevalence of 36.3% in schizophrenic patients [1] and 57.7% in depressive patients [2]. In addition, an incidence rate of 15 per 100 person-years has been observed in patients with severe mental illness (SMI) [3].
Anxiety and depression are both linked to functional gastrointestinal disorders like constipation. Studies show high rates of constipation in people who suffer from anxiety3. Emotional stress can also exacerbate pain in the bowels, and this can lead to constipation2.
Stress can also lead to constipation. When psychological stress leads to physical symptoms, they are known as somatic symptoms. The effects that stress hormones have on the body can cause constipation.
Up to a third of people with depression have chronic constipation, and a few studies report that people with depression rate their accompanying bowel difficulties as one of the biggest factors reducing their quality of life.
Researchers have discovered that the gut and brain are closely connected; and that this relationship serves an important function not only in managing emotions and stress but also aiding digestion. Emotions are felt in the gut. Feelings such sadness, anger, nervousness, fear and joy can be felt in the gut.
Doctors caring for people with gut issues have observed how GI problems can affect a person's mood and sense of well-being. For instance, some people with chronic constipation also report a depressed mood or even headaches.
In response to stress, the body releases more corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF) in the bowels. This hormone acts directly on the intestines, which it can slow down and cause them to become inflamed.
Plenty of evidence confirmed that sleep disorders correlated with a higher risk of functional gastrointestinal disorders like reflux and functional constipation, even with severity (17–22).
Emotional Build Up
Through months and months of emotional disregard, people often develop what some dynamic psychology theorists fondly refer to as “emotional constipation”. This means, we can experience a buildup of unprocessed emotions in our systems that need an outlet.
Emotional abuse has been found to predict IBS, which can involve painful bloating, diarrhea, and constipation.
Constipation is strongly linked to anxiety and other mental health conditions. While it's likely stress can make constipation worse, constipation may also increase your anxiety symptoms.
When it comes to helping you poop, magnesium citrate is considered the top choice. Bound to citric acid, this form is highly absorbable and has a slight calming effect for some people. Supplements with this form of magnesium are widely available and usually found in capsule or powder form.
If you have constipation, your colon's muscle movements are too slow. This makes the stool move through your colon too slowly. The colon absorbs too much water. The stool gets very hard and dry.
The gastrointestinal tract is sensitive to emotion. Anger, anxiety, sadness, elation — all of these feelings (and others) can trigger symptoms in the gut. The brain has a direct effect on the stomach and intestines. For example, the very thought of eating can release the stomach's juices before food gets there.
The emotion that's associated with the Large Intestine is the same as the Lungs – it's also sadness and grief. It is said in Chinese medicine that disease can be caused from internal causes and that these can manifest from an imbalance in our emotions.
The Small intestine and its paired organ, the Heart, are associated with the element of fire and the emotions of joy or agitation.
Eating a diet that's low in fiber. Getting little or no physical activity. Taking certain medications, including sedatives, opioid pain medications, some antidepressants or medications to lower blood pressure. Having a mental health condition such as depression or an eating disorder.
In multivariable analyses, greater PTSD severity was associated with worse constipation ( P =0.008), diarrhea ( P =0.005), and gas/bloating ( P =0.001) when controlling for age and sex. Higher levels of depressive symptoms severity were associated with greater abdominal/belly pain ( P =0.04).