# does therapy really help?



## 14670 (Sep 3, 2005)

I am begining to think more and more that IBS is related to stress/depression. Though I have not been diagnosed w/ depression I know that I have felt depressed for 2+ years now, and I do fit all the critera webmd.com lists. And now I'm having anxiety attacks from being so sick w/ IBS. I know therapy would help w/ the depression/anxiety, but will it really make me feel better physically? And how will the med's (if I'm perscribed some) affect my GI tract?Sorry, but this is all new to me since I have just been diagnosed over the last month, and I am still very sick. But I would love to hear both good & bad expereinces from those of you have had therapy and/or medication.thanks







~nickkie


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## 16412 (Jul 4, 2005)

Hi nickkie,I have IBS D and go to a GI doctor and my regular doctor for my medication which has greatly helped my IBS. My sister is a therapist in Texas and the storys she tells me make me sick I don't like head doctors, but many do. Hang in there your not alone.My story... http://ibsgroup.org/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/51510173/m/19210786Take Care


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## Fed Up (Jun 5, 2005)

I have too felt down many times over the past 3 years. It's only in the last few months I plucked up the courage to ask the doctor for help, and I'm glad I did. He prescribed me Prozac, and these have helped the D no end. PLus, he wants me to try cognitive therapy to conquer my anger and anxiety. He seems to be trying to delve further into my past for this, which I dont like at all. I don't like talking about things that have happened, but he thinks it will help - I don't know - Like you I'm unsure. Take Care. Mandy x


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## 14670 (Sep 3, 2005)

> quote:Originally posted by IBS_Queen:Hi nickkie,I have IBS D and go to a GI doctor and my regular doctor for my medication which has greatly helped my IBS. My sister is a therapist in Texas and the storys she tells me make me sick I don't like head doctors, but many do. Hang in there your not alone.My story... http://ibsgroup.org/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/51510173/m/19210786Take Care


thanks for your response. my doctor has offered me some type of anti-depressent w/o the need the couseling, so i may try just the medication first.


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## 14670 (Sep 3, 2005)

> quote:Originally posted by Fed Up:I have too felt down many times over the past 3 years. It's only in the last few months I plucked up the courage to ask the doctor for help, and I'm glad I did. He prescribed me Prozac, and these have helped the D no end. PLus, he wants me to try cognitive therapy to conquer my anger and anxiety. He seems to be trying to delve further into my past for this, which I dont like at all. I don't like talking about things that have happened, but he thinks it will help - I don't know - Like you I'm unsure. Take Care. Mandy x


yeah I'm very unsure about it, and like you I don't really like talking about the past. but I'm glad to hear that prozac has helped you; it makes me feel better about asking my doctor for it (I have taken it a loooong time ago, so hopefully it won't mess with my GI tract).


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## cookies4marilyn (Jun 30, 2000)

Hi nickkie, and welcome ~You can take a peek for my story - but I have been on every anti-anxiety, SSRI, and IBS drug there was, and for me, and for many on this BB, clinical hypnotherapy helped with the constant anxiety and IBS symptoms - if you have any questions, please feel free to email me, and I would be happy to help.I was diagnosed in 1988, had IBS and was almost housebound since 1983, and found out about this therapy when I came to this BB in 2000 - if it hadn't been for this BB, I would still be in deep agony... hypnotherapy worked better than all the meds, and broke that mind-gut connection and anxiety of just thinking about going out and having a D attack...Take care - here are the links if you want more info.


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## 14670 (Sep 3, 2005)

thanks for the links that was very informative! Certainly something I will look into further. I've been doing a lot of research into different types of therapy over the last few days and am a little overwhelmed with all the different options, so I am very slowly trying to figure out what type of therapy would suit me, and then finding a therapist I like (I have been unimpressed with them in the past).but again...thanks for the wonderful information!


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## cookies4marilyn (Jun 30, 2000)

For both anxiety and IBS, some people have had success with cognitive behavioral therapy, as well as with hypnotherapy, but finding a therapist who does either method who has experience in both IBS and anxiety may be a problem. That is why the recorded program many of the BB members and myself did was helpful, because there was research as well as a great track record to back it up - plus no travel or worry to get to appointments. I would never have been able to travel to a therapist with my severe IBS - that is why the recorded program was such a life-saver.Clinical hypnotherapy for IBS - especially with anxiety - has been researched for many years, and has proven successful with most folks who has used it - not a cure - but certainly is a good option that can be used with or without meds and side effects.Good luck in your journey! I wish you well and take care.~ Marilyn


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## 14988 (Aug 10, 2005)

I go to counseling, not the same as psychiatry of course because I can't get the meds. So I may go to my doctor for that stuff. I love my therapist (or counselor, whatever), she had no experience with IBS, but she is doing her darndest to try to help me carve some new paths in my brain so to speak, so I don't automatically panic with my IBS. It's been really good for my relationship with my fiance, actually fantastic, so now I'm trying it for IBS.


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## 18059 (Jul 14, 2005)

Hi nikkie I see a shrink 2xs a month and love it you can tell anything and know it won't go anywhere, and unlike a friend or partner they don't look at you like you have 2 heads about what you talk about. I ended up in the ER in the psych ward after an extreme panic attack so they strongly suggested I see a therapist, I love it.I come out of there with a lighter feeling and it last all week, it is just sometimes nice to talk to somebody who is impartial and dose'nt get bored by talking about the same old thing..


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## 15534 (Aug 28, 2005)

Better late than never...well sometimes.I guess everyone is different so you have to try it yourself before knowing what the answer is. Being positive always helps...even if ya fake it.Personally I think talking to real people who have experienced similar things to yourself must be better..and cheaper. Does a therapist really differ from a diary. They will try and get out of you what you don't really want to but know you have to.I tried looking back into the past 1-2 years ago for the first time. Triggered by contacting the only important person to me who left my life not long before everything went belly up. (family excluded) It depressed me for a whole year. On top of that she vanished half way through my hour of need so I was left talking to myself. I hate talking remotely, you never know what the hell happens. Interesting conversations I had. Still it was actually better than the place I was in at the time so anything to escape.Better out than in.


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## 14670 (Sep 3, 2005)

hey uk







yeah well I have tried talking to the one who I can who enduced most of this, and it just seemed to make things worse, so I don't know about that.A support group might be better, and certainly cheaper. I think I'll look around for one. thanks


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## eric (Jul 8, 1999)

nickkie, I see you live in LA.LA has one of the best IBS research and treament centers on the planet.You should look over this site carefully.http://www.ibs.med.ucla.edu/They have classes and support groups and also clinical trials where they pay you.Such as this one, but there are others.Mind-Body Treatment for IBSPrincipal Investigator, Bruce Naliboff, PhDEvaluating the effectiveness of a new mind-body treatment in behavioral medicine for reducing symptoms in Irritable Bowel Syndrome. After a medical history and physical screening by a UCLA gastroenterologist, individuals accepted into the study receive one of three 10-week non-drug treatment for reducing abdominal pain and distress. Treatments include education, symptom management, stress management, cognitive-behavioral treatment, and skills training. Enrollment: Currently open to male and female adults, ages 18 to 65 suffering from irritable bowel syndrome. For more information, please call: (310) 478-3711 ext.43470This center has some of the top IBS research doctors at it.


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## 14670 (Sep 3, 2005)

eric: thanks for posting that. I will be sure to read through the site carefully.


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## 15534 (Aug 28, 2005)

SUNSCREENLadies and gentlemen of the class of '05: Wear sunscreen. If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now. Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine. Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday. Do one thing every day that scares you. Sing. Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours. Floss. Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself. Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how. Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements. Stretch. Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't. Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when they're gone. Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else's. Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own. Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room. Read the directions, even if you don't follow them. Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly. Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future. Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young. Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Travel. (Not my words...never been to either place.)Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders. Respect your elders. Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out. Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it will look 85. Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth. But trust me on the sunscreen.


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## 15534 (Aug 28, 2005)

Nickkie â€"You make your own luck.Donâ€™t compare yourself to others, they are more screwed up than you think.Geek chic.Rambling is freedom of thought.Be free.You are beautiful.You are strong.You are worthy.You are young.You care.You would be missed.Scars heal.The past can not hurt you. It simply moulds you into the person you are today. The mould never sets.The future is unwritten.Timing is everything.Less is sometimes more.Judge and be judged.Use it or lose it.You are never alone.Stay strong.Have faith to trust.Donâ€™t put pressure on yourself, you are just as capable as anyone else, if not more so.Avoid those that put pressure on you.In the end, does anything really matterâ€¦no!Sh!t happens, remember the good, forget the bad and move on. (Ooh censoring. As with people, all words are equal)Take strength form others.Think positive.Think less.Keep busy.If youâ€™re aware of life, youâ€™re doing it wrong.Just do it.Set goals. If you donâ€™t meet them, simply reschedule, what does it matter.Everybody wants the same thing.Money isnâ€™t everything, happiness isâ€¦then health. Donâ€™t be afraid of being happy. It may end, you canâ€™t control thatâ€¦make the most of it whilst itâ€™s there, no matter how small a time that may be.Dreams can come true.People care and notice more than you think.Things are never as bad as you think.Sometimes things have to get worse before they can get better.The best things often happen when you least expect them tnly diamonds can be flawless. No-ones perfect. If everybody were, the world would be a boring place.Strangers canâ€™t offend you, they donâ€™t know you.Music touches the soul like nothing else can.Do whatever you can to make yourself happy.Weird + wonderful = interesting. (Basic algebra.)In heaven all the interesting people are missing. Be yourself, always.Never give up.Use the medium that is easiest for you to express.Tomorrow is a new day.Good luck.Rest and get well soon.LIVE SIMPLEâ€¦LAUGH OFTENâ€¦LOVE DEEPLY.â€¦This applies to you too.P.S. The support group sounds like a good idea to me. Good things always come from good ideas.


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