Living with Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Psychological symptoms
IBS manifests more than just physical symptoms. You may suffer stress, depression, anxiety and frustration, at least in part because IBS can be embarrassing and not easy to talk about. A common source of anxiety relates to the need to be near a toilet when the feeling of urgency develops.

Some people with moderate to severe symptoms (including unpredictable pain, urgency and perhaps even bowel incontinence) find that IBS can affect many aspects of their lives, from the most public (including the ability to work, attend social events and travel) to the most private (including relationships with friends, family and sexual partners).

Moreover, IBS can be a vicious circle, since stress can lead to more symptoms due to what researchers call the ‘mind-gut’ connection. The colon is partly controlled by the nervous system, and when areas of the brain that are excited by stress are overwhelmed, it can affect the gastrointestinal tract, causing pain and other symptoms; the increased pain can cause further anxiety. Psychological treatment may be called for, particularly when the symptoms are severe enough to impair quality of life.

Psychological treatment, in addition to medical treatment, can break the vicious circle of pain to anxiety to pain. Stress management counselling, hypnotherapy and psychotherapy have all been used in the treatment of both the physical and psychological symptoms of IBS.

Examination and investigations
After asking you about your symptoms your doctor will examine you, paying particular attention to the abdomen. There may be tenderness, especially in the lower left where the last part of the colon lies. He may also hear loud or gurgling bowel sounds.