IBS can produce different symptoms in different people, and multiple factors—both physical and psychological—are thought to be involved in its development.
There is evidence suggesting psychological factors play an important role in IBS, this is due to the link that exists between the brain and gut, often called the 'gut-brain connection'. In some people, the gut-brain connection can trigger or worsen symptoms such as diarrhoea, constipation and nausea.
About 50–90% of IBS patients also have associated psychiatric ailments; most commonly anxiety disorders and depression.
IBS is a painful condition associated with significant psychological distress and psychiatric comorbidities, like higher levels of anxiety or depression and suicidal ideation, with negative impact on quality of life [2, 3].
The most common approaches are dietary changes — eliminating or reducing problem foods — and stress management techniques, such as yoga, meditation, acupuncture, and cognitive behavioral therapy. Certain supplements and over-the-counter and prescription medications also can help.
Strong emotions like stress, anxiety, and depression trigger chemicals in the brain that turn on pain signals in your gut that may cause your colon to react. Stress and anxiety may make the mind more aware of spasms in the colon. IBS may be triggered by the immune system, which is affected by stress.
Stress and major life traumas are known to worsen IBS symptoms. Many people experience spikes in their stress levels just before they start getting IBS symptoms. In fact, some researchers argue that it's nearly impossible to improve IBS without first addressing stress.
Women are up to two times more likely than men to develop IBS. People younger than age 50 are more likely to develop IBS than people older than age 50. Factors that can increase your chance of having IBS include: having a family member with IBS.
Several personality traits and constructs, such as neuroticism, conscientiousness, and alexithymia, are closely associated with IBS. Negative emotions, which are probably more entangled with neurobiological substrates, seem to have a key role in the brain-gut axis dysfunction which characterizes IBS.
Living with IBS can be difficult. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic and unpredictable condition. Symptoms that change over time and are hard to talk about add to the challenge of living with it.
IBS can occur at any age. Often, it begins in the teen years or early adulthood. It is twice as common in women as in men. It is less likely to begin in older people above 50 years of age.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) like sertraline (Zoloft) and fluoxetine (Prozac) are commonly used to treat anxiety disorders, but they could be helpful for people with anxiety and IBS. These medications make the gut more active, so they may be better for those with IBS-related constipation.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a symptom-based disorder of gut-brain interactions generating abdominal pain. It is also associated with a vulnerability to develop extraintestinal symptoms, with fatigue often reported as one of the most disturbing.
IBS is not a psychological disorder but has come to be closely linked with both stress and anxiety. Even people who do not experience IBS can find themselves needing to go to the toilet when they are experiencing stressed nervous or anxious.
The pain in IBS is related to a change in the part of the brain that receives signals from the gut, which “turns up the volume” on sensations. This understanding of the brain–gut connection is essential, not only to the cause of the chronic pain, but also to its treatment. There is no cure for pain in IBS.
We don't recommend ignoring it. Your doctor may order tests to rule out other health problems — this can be a good starting point. IBS often overlaps with other gastrointestinal conditions like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which is more clearly identifiable than IBS.
How long does an IBS flare-up last? An IBS flare-up duration is different for everyone. Most people's IBS symptoms will flare up for 2-4 days, after which your symptoms may lower in severity or disappear completely. Many people experience IBS in waves, in which symptoms may come and go over several days or weeks.
It is well known that dietary FODMAPs can trigger gut symptoms in people with IBS. However, as FODMAPs have their effects mostly in the small and large intestine, it usually takes at least 4 hours after eating a high FODMAP meal for FODMAP-related symptoms to occur (see blog on timing of symptoms here).
Recent meta analyses have found that CBT for IBS is highly effective in improving bowel symptoms, quality of life, and psychological distress and that these effects persist beyond the treatment phase and into long-term follow-up.