Does your IBS doctor discuss mental health with you?
Many with IBS experience mental health challenges (such as anxiety, stress, and depression) in addition to the physical pain that comes along with the disease, and it's important for healthcare providers to address both of these aspects of IBS.
Share your experiences and insights:
Have your healthcare providers discussed mental health concerns with you during your IBS appointments?
- If so, what strategies or resources have they recommended for managing mental health alongside IBS symptoms?
- If not, how do you feel about the lack of discussion around mental health in your IBS care?
Let's start the conversation and support each other!
My doctor really isn't into a lot of discussion and I have to get him talking about this - he's probably not the best choice for someone looking for a lot of answers but I feel comfortable with him which is half the battle so I bring things up and get his comments. I get the mental health connection and have an appointment in mid June and may see what he has to say. Years and years ago a GP told me that when your nervous system is developing as a fetus so is you bowels and that the two are very reactive to each other. It made sense but really didn't solve any problems knowing it except to try and keep myself from getting even more upset in an effort to keep from having the IBS get a lot worse. I often remind myself that so far I have always made it to a bathroom or home and that hopefully that will continue.......
Feeling comfortable with your doctor is so important, I understand why you stick with him. I hope your appointment in June will be helpful, please keep us updated about that!
Karina (team member)Drs. don't know too much about IBS b/c they don't teach it in Med school. They aren't taught about the mental or the physical affects of IBS on its victims. I gave up on Drs. prior to Covid! I went to a gastro guy and he gave me a sheet (very impressive) of meds to take and none did anything to help. I'm basically treating myself now!!!
Yes, I wish she did discuss mental health and the gut and brain interaction.
Yes, absolutely. I have a gift (or maybe I'm just dogged in my pursuit) for assembling amazing A-Team healthcare providers. I especially focused on this when I realized that I had a *terrible* GI doctor. When I was in an emotional crisis - lasting about 5 years and which led me to an anorexic condition where I was losing about a pound a week(!) - I saw this GI doctor who performed a colonoscopy (nothing remarkable there). At my follow-up, he casually held up a chart of the vagus nerve, told me to "drink more milkshakes" (presumably to gain weight) and keep seeing my psychiatrist. He was so dismissive, I purposely left that practice and sought out a specialist who is on the faculty of a world-class teaching hospital and whose area of expertise is IBS leading to malnutrition. It takes me about 40 minutes to get to her office, but after that other GI experience, I swore I would do my homework when selecting doctors. My primary care doctor, who we'd been seeing for over 20 years retired last year, so we've had to search out a new primary practice, but I think I've found a good one (first appt is in a few days). I have a dream team consisting of a nutritionist, a chiropractor (whose intelligence factor on all things medical to emotional to physiological astounds me), a masseuse/energy worker, an amazing trauma therapist, and a psychiatrist that I actually trust (took me years and a few terrible experiences before I finally found her). So, yes, ALL of my health care practitioners discuss my mental/emotional health with me, because they are all that comprehensive in their approach. I've also learned the importance of advocating for my own health care and making sure the issues I want addressed are discussed. @self-care @advocate_for_yourself @due_diligence @research_doctors
