Kali Park

BIOL 4500

Dr. Karpel

October 28, 2016

Finding important links between Depression and Irritable Bowel Syndrome

            There are many different connections between the gastrointestinal system and brain/mental disorders. One common connection between the brain and GI tract is the connection between irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and depression. IBS is one of the most common gastrointestinal disorders, and around 50%-90% of people with IBS also suffer from a psychiatric illness, such as depression (Lydiard 2001). With a clear connection between the two disorders, it is important to try to fully understand the two different diseases in order to find way to help those with both disorders. One of the ways to understand IBS and depression is to understand the different fields that study these diseases. In this paper I am going to explore the different fields endeavor that study depression and different fields of endeavor that study IBS. To conclude, I will draw connections between the fields of endeavor in both disorders and explore possible ways that we could benefit from connecting the different fields. It is imperative to understand what is being studied in different fields of the diseases in order to understand how they could be linked in order to help those who suffer from multiple disorders at one time.

Depression is a mental disorder that is present in many different fields of study, including psychology, economics, and exercise science. Psychology studies how people think, how they feel, and how they behave. This is important in understanding depression because it gives us an insight on how people suffering from the disease are feeling and what could be causing this mental disorder. Psychological studies state that functions of the frontal lobe are diminished in people suffering from depression; which makes basic functions such as memory, emotional expression, and problem solving difficult (Cognitive Disorders 2016). People suffering from depression can get help from Psychologists who help them overcome their disease. In order to help those with depression, it is important to understand the origin of their disorder. There are many different biological and environmental possible contributors to depression; one of these is the income of the individual. The article by Loran et. al found that there was an obvious link between depression and people who are living at lower socio-economic status (2007). The financial strain in the individual leads us to the next important field of endeavor, economics. Depression causes a huge economic burden on the individuals and the United States as a whole. In the year 2000, depression in the United States cost around 83 million dollars (Greenberg et. al 2003). This is especially alarming because the high cost of depression could lead to more financial stress for the individuals, which could worsen an individual’s depression. It is important to connect economics and psychology when analyzing depression because their close link could give insight into how to reduce symptoms of depression. Another field of endeavor that that is affected by depression is exercise science. There have been studies supporting exercise as an effect, alternative treatment for those suffering with this disorder. In these individuals, their symptoms seemed to be reduced when they participated in regular exercise (Rimer et. al 2012). If those with depression, or those helping others who suffer from depression, understand the many different fields that focus on the disease, then they will be able to draw the necessary connections in order to better treat those with the mental disorder.  

The other disorder I am going to focus on is irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Fields of endeavor that are closely related to IBS are the fields of medicine, economics, and exercise science. IBS is a condition that is classified by stomach pain or discomfort and a significant, noticeable change in bowel movements (Irritable Bowel Syndrom). It is important for an individual who thinks they are suffering from IBS to contact a medical profession. After an individual gets diagnosed with IBS, there are a number of treatments that could help treat this disorder. In a study done on individuals with IBS, it was found that probiotics were a successful treatment for reducing the symptoms of the disorder (Saggioro 2004). Of course the cost of medical treatment could be expensive, which makes the field of economics extremely important when studying IBS. The medical costs for people suffering from IBS are 51% higher than those who do not suffer from the disorder; the percentage increased as the severity of the disorder increased (Longstreth et. al 2003). It is thought that those suffering from IBS could spend up to $8750 every year on direct costs due to their disorder (Maxion-Bergemann et. al 2006). It is also important to note that exercise science is another prevalent field of endeavor in the study of IBS. There has been evidence suggesting that exercise can greatly effect and help reduce the symptoms of those suffering from IBS (Johannesson et. al 2015). There are still many different fields of endeavor that are related to IBS, but connecting just a few could help those with the disorder.

As mentioned earlier, there is a known link between depression and IBS. There are also many different fields of endeavor that focus on each individual disorder; connecting these fields could be very beneficial to the individuals. For example, the cost of medical expenses for those suffering with IBS is significantly higher than those who do not. This financial burden could be linked to an increase in stress due to the financial burden of their disorder. Connecting economics of IBS could help understand the link to depression due to the field of psychology that studies this mental disorder. This financial burden could lead to financial stress and financial stress has been linked to a higher risk of depression. Another field of endeavor that is linked to both depression and IBS is exercise science. In both cases it was found that exercise could reduce the symptoms of both depression and IBS. This could be helpful for those in fields of psychology or medicine by providing them a possible successful treatment for people who suffer from both depression and IBS. If this treatment is found successful for a number of individuals, then it could reduce the financial burden that they may face when trying to treat their mental and gastrointestinal disorder. The reduction in their financial burden could also help reduce their symptoms of both IBS and depression, which would better their quality of life. If more focus was dedicated to connecting the different fields related to both depression and IBS, then better treatment could be found for the individuals suffering from the disease.

The fields of endeavor mentioned are only small representations of how many areas depression and IBS are affecting. It is possible that members of certain fields in a specific disease could be overlooking the important findings in fields studying another linked disease. Making connections between various fields of linked diseases, such as the fields in depression and IBS, could be imperative to providing the best treatment to the victims of these disorders. Of course, the best treatment could only be found when you take the time to compare the evidence for the individual diseases and make an effort to connect them. Links between fields of endeavor for various diseases is not just beneficial for those who suffer from IBS and depression, but it could be beneficial for many others who have possible linked diseases. As demonstrated in this paper, putting in the time and effort to find links between different fields of linked diseases could be extremely beneficial to finding better treatments for the victims suffering from various disorders.

           

Sources

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Greenberg, P.E., Kessler R.C., Birnbaum H.G., Leong, S.A., Lowe, S.W., Berglund P.A., Corey-Lisle, P.K. The economic burden of depression in the United States: how did it change between 1990 and 2000? (2003). Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. 64(12): 1265-1275.

Johannesson, E., Rinström, G., Abrahamsson, H., Sadik, R. Intervention to increase physical activity in irritable bowel syndrome shows long-term positive effects. (2015). World J Gastroenterol. 21(2): 600-608.

Lonstreth, G.F., Wilson, A., Knight, K., Wong, J., Ciou, C.F., Barghout, V., Frech, F., Ofman, J.J. Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Health Care Use, and Costs: A U.S. Managed Care Perspective. (2003). The American Journal of Gastroenterology. 98: 600-607.

Lorant, V., Croux, C., Weich, S., Deliege, D., Mackenback, J., Ansseau, M. Depression and socio0economic risk factors: 7-year longitudinal population study. (2007). The British Journal of Psychiatry. 190(4): 293-298.

Lydiard, Bruce R. Irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety and depression: What are the links? (2001). The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. 62(8): 38-45.

Maxion-Bergemann, S., Thielecke, F., Abel, F., Bergemann, R. Costs of Irritable Bowel Syndrome in the UK and US. (2006). PharmacoEconomics. 24: 21.

Rimer, J., Dwan, K., Lawlor, D.A., Greig, C.A., McMurdro, M., Morley, W., Mead, G.E. Exercise for despression. (2012). Cochrane Common Mental Disorders Group.

Saggioro, Alfredo. Probiotics in The Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. (2004). Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology. 38: 104-106.

Tartakovsky, M. (2016). Cognitive Distortions: The Lies Depression Tells. Psych Central. Retrieved on October 27, 2016.