# Mental/emotional health issues mixed up with IBS



## Silviegee (Jan 12, 2021)

I have IBS-D and have had it for sure since March 7th 2020. Prior to that I had a week of it in April 2018 (recognized now for what it was, with hindsight, but at the time I wasn't sure what it was.)

I had a lot of grief and bereavement since 1999. and one very dear and extremely close Soul died 9 years ago. I grieved, but that's natural. But over the next few years (from about 2014 to 2018) I got horrible "anxiety" (?) attacks usually in the night which prevented me from sleeping until dawn sometimes. I felt like I was being crushed. They recurred quite frequently. There was also a lot of sleep deprivation.
I didn't want to involve doctors or drug-type medication.
At that time my gut was fine. At that time also my abilty to cope with little life stresses wasn't impaired. I could soldier on and rise to any occasion generally in daytime life.

When the IBS started, I also found my stress response was pants. I couldn't bear even the smallest stress. Even making a phone call would set my heart racing. My reaction to my morning coffee became bizarre and make me feel very scary, creepy, and sort of terrified like I was on another planet or something!
. (I can sometimes have one now, but that reaction can happen sometimes and take me by surprise.)

Of course, sudden IBS attacks feel horrendous to me. I shake and tremble all over. I can't stop obsessing with it, researching, trying to find this and that, "Dr Googling". My thoughts are dark, nothing like they were, always scared of my symptoms. Anxiety ramps up in a flare-up. Breathing exercises don't help one bit. Trying to meditate is like trying to eat a cardboard box. Impossible. My heart-felt emotions are just not there. I can't even think of/feel into something dear to me. It scares me to feel so shut down to nicer sweeter feelings.
I daren't even think of driving to any unfamiliar place or town. I feel like I'll have a heart attack from stress. Any appointment freaks me out. I can just about manage when left alone quietly by life, but cry a lot too, from deep inside me. Do I have depression? The IBS makes me so sad, that I can't enjoy anything like I did once.
What came first, the chicken or the egg? The IBS or some kind of anxiety disorder? Has the IBS made the anxiety much worse? Are these awful increasing dark feelings a reaction to IBS? (which is a nightmare for me.) Or did my mental/emotional pain and grief cause the IBS?

Does anybody else feel IBS has caused mental disharmony maybe even mental illness or emotional imbalance?


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## FeelingBlah (Aug 27, 2021)

I saw this post and just wanted to say I'm sorry for what you're going through. As I said in my other post, I'm new to this, so I don't have much to offer, but in my limited experience, I am seeing that anxiety->symptoms->more anxiety spiral. I'm looking at therapists to see if they can be of any help.


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## Kenny (Jan 28, 2020)

My IBS of 8 years has put m into a deep depression/panic attack. I also have a prior history of anxiety(for other reasons not the IBS because that was prior to my IBS onset) for which I was on medication but had stopped it . But this time the trigger is the IBS which just wont go away , don't know what to do . I had to start on medication (SSRI) last month for the panic attack/depression and I'm not sure its helping my depression.
I have been counseled so many times by so many people that IBS is not fatal , there are worse conditions , people are suffering so much more but nothing seems to work for me , I'm unable to accept and move on with my life .I'm unable to have a positive perspective .


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## Silviegee (Jan 12, 2021)

Thank you both for replying. I have empathy for you. It truly is horrible to have IBS. Something so simple that most people take for granted; simply digesting food and going to the bathroom every morning, has become a nightmare for us all.

I have had fewer flares since August. I was taking homeopathic remedies which were prescribed by a professional. I see her monthly. She put me on some homeobotanical drops which I am sure have helped to a great degree. The "D" side of things has improved, and I have had normal bm's for weeks. But I do still get a bloated lower abdomen frequently, and a sense of unease down there.. That comes with a general emotional "creepy" feeling, mostly in the evenings after dinner, and my emotions seem unable to find real joy any more. Tonight I lay down in bed and had managed to find some lovely positive thoughts just before bed. But then my gut started feeling creepy and I was on alert suddenly and had to get up. Now it's 4am.
Sometimes I had flares in the past (2 months ago was my last time with them) that came on very suddenly out of the blue. It's like I need to let go of the past and embrace the possibilty of some good change....
But my thoughts are worried.


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## fereder (11 mo ago)

I'm sure you lack the support of those closest to you. I've heard many stories like this about people having mental health problems after a loss, and most often, it's because they're left alone with themselves and their thoughts. It is important to learn how to control yourself and your thoughts in such cases. Only a full awareness of your mind can help you get out of this state. I want to advise you to study a few manifesting methods. They will help you learn to control your thoughts and turn them into actions. It once helped me get out of depression, and I am sure it can help you.


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## sedereds (11 mo ago)

I'm sorry you have to go through all this.


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## Darenbug (7 mo ago)

I sincerely sympathize with your difficult situation. I hear a lot of pain in what you are saying. You are right to acknowledge its presence and try to resolve it. Unfortunately, no one can tell you the right answer right off the bat if IBS came first or anxiety. Based on my experience, it very well may be related to trauma and grief that you’ve experienced. I also experienced anxiety for which I sought therapy. It turned out I had a great deal of trauma that I’d shoved aside. I would recommend that you read The Body Keeps the Score | Bessel van der Kolk, MD, and find an experienced evidence-based therapist that works with body approaches to get to the bottom of things (Somatic Interventions within EMDR, Accelerated Resolution Therapy, SE - Somatic Experiencing). From my experience, I can say that a way out may be medications for IBS and Counseling Services for your mental health. This is the only thing that helped me and I hope it can help you too.


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## tsvetap (3 mo ago)

Yes, IBS can be accompanied by frequent panic attacks and stress. You most likely need to see doctors who will prescribe you antidepressants and other medications. After all, with such a diagnosis, do not forget IBS will only interfere with you. I know this by myself. I started developing IBS after my wife got hooked on drugs. I tried to get her out of it, but it didn't work out. It's good that I found an article on drug rehabilitation on this site -- fherehab.com. Then with the help of doctors, I still managed to get my wife to try to cure this addiction. And she did it! And my disease has stopped progressing too.


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