{"id":621632,"date":"2023-03-24T17:49:25","date_gmt":"2023-03-24T22:49:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.sellorbuyhomefast.com\/index.php\/2023\/03\/24\/anxiety-depression-climbing-among-people-with-ibd\/"},"modified":"2023-03-24T17:49:25","modified_gmt":"2023-03-24T22:49:25","slug":"anxiety-depression-climbing-among-people-with-ibd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2023\/03\/24\/anxiety-depression-climbing-among-people-with-ibd\/","title":{"rendered":"Anxiety, Depression Climbing Among People with IBD"},"content":{"rendered":"
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March 24, 2023 \u2013 Joshua Denton\u00a0was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis when he was a junior in college. He not only faced anxiety around a new health diagnosis, but how it could change the rest of his life.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

His initial anxiety was from having \u201csomething that’s technically considered incurable.\u201d\u00a0Next came the challenges of living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) on a day-to-day basis.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere is just a level of worry about what your quality of life is going to look like. Will it ever be the same, will it get better or just deteriorate over time?\u201d\u00a0said Denton, now a 37-year-old aerospace project manager in Dallas.<\/span><\/p>\n

People with IBD are reporting higher rates of anxiety, depression, and other life challenges compared to 6 years ago, a survey\u00a0from the American Gastroenterological Association\u00a0(AGA) of more than 1,000 people shows.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the same time, many health care providers believe that patients\u2019 mental health needs are being met, according to a companion survey of more than 100 health care professionals who treat Crohn\u2019s disease and ulcerative colitis.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n

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So why the disparity? People with IBD are sometimes reluctant to talk about relationship issues or difficulties at work with their doctor, saying they don\u2019t want to be a burden, said Laurie A. Keefer, PhD, a psychologist and a professor of medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City who specializes in helping people with IBD develop coping skills and resilience.<\/span><\/p>\n

Doctors sometimes do not want to ask questions that could be inappropriate or make people feel uncomfortable. \u201cThere are a lot of good intentions on both sides,\u201d said Keefer. \u201cBut\u00a0I do think that there’s a real disconnect on what actually needs to happen.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Survey results showed 36% of people with IBD report anxiety and 35% report depression. This reflects a steady increase in anxiety and depression diagnoses since 2017.\u00a0For comparison, the\u00a0<\/span>national rate for anxiety is 19%<\/span><\/a> and for depression is 8%, according to a 2017 report from the National Alliance on Mental Illness.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n

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What\u2019s the Connection?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

There are likely two reasons to explain why anxiety and depression are more common among people with IBD, Keefer said. These conditions are increasingly known to share inflammatory pathways with the\u00a0autoimmune diseases, particularly pathways that are brain-gut related.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe second issue is that these conditions themselves cause depression because so there’s so much to manage,\u201d she added.\u00a0\u201cYou don’t feel good\u00a0when\u00a0you stop going out and doing things, and for some people that really just manifests as depression.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The risk of depression can also increase when someone\u2019s IBD is active. Keefer said, \u201cWhen you’re sick and lying in bed and not at work, and not seeing your friends, you’re going to get more and more depressed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The survey also reveals the impacts IBD can have beyond mental well-being \u2013 including challenges in relationships, the workplace, and when educating others about the conditions. The AGA used findings as a foundation for a new resource called\u00a0<\/span>My IBD Life<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n

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\u201cThe idea is to really simplify the conversation about the emotional burden of IBD,\u201d Keefer said.\u00a0My IBD Life features real people with IBD sharing tips on how they talk to friends and family about these challenges, how they manage their work-life balance, and how they travel. \u201cA lot of my patients won’t go on a\u00a0vacation where they have to fly on an airplane.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The campaign also focuses on helping younger people, as IBD is generally diagnosed when people are in their teen years or early 20s.\u00a0\u201cThe mental health needs of young adults are high and\u00a0they’re on the rise post-COVID,\u201d Keefer said. \u201cThese are also people who are trying to get their lives under control and then they get whammed with the disease.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Unpredictability Adds to Anxiety<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Kamilah Guiden<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>was diagnosed at age 12 and has had Crohn\u2019s disease for more than 20 years. She shared some challenges beyond the IBD itself.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRelationships are always big — trying to figure out when you have that conversation with\u00a0Crohn\u2019s,\u201d she said. \u00a0It can be especially tricky for people who have their colon removed and live with a colostomy bag. \u201cHow do you talk to someone about that in a relationship or even\u00a0before having sex?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n

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Common errands can provoke anxiety as well, Denton said. \u201cThere are things that people with normally functioning bodies may take for granted. I have to think, \u2018Hey can I go to the store and get groceries without worrying about having to run to the bathroom or having an accident?\u2019 \u2018Can I go on a date and eat and drink comfortably \u2013 and not eat anything that is going to trigger a flare-up?\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

There can be issues with friends and family who don\u2019t understand the need to always be close to a bathroom and how urgently that need can come up, said Guiden, a digital marketing professional at JPA Health, a public relations and marketing agency that helped develop the My IBD Life campaign.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Keefer, who also is an advisor on the campaign, said that \u201cmany GI conditions, not just Crohn\u2019s and ulcerative colitis, come with a lot of unpredictability that can add to the anxiety.\u201d The uncertainty sets IBD apart from many other chronic diseases.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n

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You Need Time Off for What?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Employers may not understand the need to take time off. People with IBD might hesitate to ask for time out of the office to avoid being seen as unable to work. For Guiden it was college professors unwilling to waive her absences when she missed classes\u00a0because of her IBD.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCommunication is very important for having a chronic illness and being able to get the accommodations you need. Also don\u2019t be afraid to escalate something if necessary,\u201d Guiden said.<\/span><\/p>\n

The campaign also aims to help providers play a more active role in addressing IBD beyond the physical symptoms. Many providers reported in the survey that they feel less equipped to treat the emotional issues than the physical aspects of IBD.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Education and Awareness<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cThe topic\u00a0can be\u00a0very uncomfortable for a lot of folks, admittedly including myself sometimes,\u00a0and it leads to a\u00a0kind of self-censoring,\u201d Denton said. He tries to consider how much someone he\u2019s talking to wants to know about his personal IBD challenges.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At the same time, he added, \u201canybody that you encounter that doesn’t know about IBD is an opportunity to educate.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n

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That\u2019s another way the My IBD Life website can help. If someone is uncomfortable talking about the details or IBD, those affected can refer others to this resource. That way, Denton said, people can take their time and learn as much as they want to about life with Crohn\u2019s disease or ulcerative colitis. The personal stories shared on the site really \u201chumanize\u201d IBD.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Keefer agreed. \u201cThe campaign really breaks down common\u00a0emotional concerns that patients have, provides them with real tips and tricks based on real patients and providers. It\u2019s very evidence-based guidance but it\u2019s also very practical, tangible information for patients.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The patient survey with responses from 1,026 people ages 18 to 59 with IBD was conducted June 27-July 5, 2022. The provider survey with responses from 117 gastroenterologists was conducted at the same time.<\/span><\/p>\n

IBD and Inequality<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The survey also revealed that different communities can experience the challenges of IBD in different ways. For example, one question asked respondents to rate on a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 being does not apply and 10 being applies very well to my experience, the following: \u201cMy IBD journey has been impacted by my race, ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation, gender identity and\/or age.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n

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The average rating for all 1,026 respondents was 3.57. However, people of color rated this statement a 4.5 and Black patients gave it a 4.7.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u00a0won’t try to speak for those that were behind the survey, but I’ll speak through the lens of myself being an\u00a0IBD\u00a0patient and also a part of a nonprofit called\u00a0<\/span>Color of Crohn\u2019s and Chronic Illness<\/span><\/a>, a nonprofit that focuses on increasing medical access and equitable treatment with respect to resources for black and brown IDB patients,\u201d Denton said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately, it\u2019s rooted in a little bit of systemic discrimination\u201d and relates to the historic treatment of black and brown patients, he added. The issues include equitable access to care and treatment and participation in clinical trials that are more representative of the United States population. \u201cCertain things have very little to do with who we are as actual individuals and have much more to do with the structure of the medical environment.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/nossr><\/div>\n

Read More<\/a>
\n Margarete Wiers<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

March 24, 2023 \u2013 Joshua Denton\u00a0was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis when he was a junior in college. He not only faced anxiety around a new health diagnosis, but how it could change the rest of his life.\u00a0His initial anxiety was from having \u201csomething that’s technically considered incurable.\u201d\u00a0Next came the challenges of living with inflammatory bowel<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":621633,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[650,3821],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-621632","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-anxiety","8":"category-depression"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/621632","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=621632"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/621632\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/621633"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=621632"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=621632"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=621632"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}