Psychotherapy helps against irritable bowel syndrome
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More about the experts All content is checked by medical journalists."That hits me on the stomach" - the old adage is especially true for people with irritable bowel syndrome. If you suffer from stress or anxiety, this will quickly become noticeable in your digestion. Researchers have now confirmed in a meta study that the psyche could also be the starting point for alleviating abdominal pain, diarrhea and the like.
A total of 41 studies with almost 2,300 patients took a closer look at Kelsey Laird and her colleagues from Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The result: the symptoms in irritable bowel patients who received psychological treatment improved noticeably compared to the vast majority of patients who did not receive psychological care.
Get out of the vicious circle
Various types of therapy, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, relaxation or hypnosis, had a measurable effect. Online therapies also alleviated the intestinal complaints.
The result that came from another meta-study on the same topic was a little more nuanced. In 2014, gastroenterologist Alexander C. Ford and colleagues from St. James’s University Hospital in Leeds also confirmed that psychological help relieves irritable bowel symptoms. However, it was mainly psychotherapy and hypnotherapy that proved to be effective with him. On the other hand, psychotherapies via the Internet, relaxation methods or stress management programs had no measurable effect. The dynamic psychotherapy worked best, which led to a significant alleviation of the symptoms in more than half of the patients.
“We often see the psyche and the body as two separate things. Irritable bowel syndrome is a perfect example that shows how closely the two are linked, ”said Laird. Scientists believe that both are mutually dependent and reinforcing. Because digestive problems could also trigger stress and anxiety. Laird: "It's a vicious circle and psychotherapy can help break it."
Irritable bowel syndrome mainly affects women
Irritable bowel syndrome is a digestive tract disorder that can lead to chronic symptoms. Women are affected twice as often as men. The disease is very stressful but not dangerous. In most cases, no organic cause for the symptoms is found, and the exact triggers for irritable bowel syndrome have not yet been clarified. However, both diet and psyche - especially stress - seem to have an important influence.
Source: Kelsey T. Laird et al .: Short- and Long- Term Efficacy of Psychological Therapies for Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, 2015; DOI: 10.1016 / j.cgh.2015.11.020
A.C. Ford et al .: Effect of Antidepressants and Psychological Therapies, Including Hypnotherapy, in Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, Am J Gastroenterol, 2014/09 // print; http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ajg.2014.148
