Symptom management needs of patients with irritable bowel syndrome and concurrent anxiety and/or depression: A qualitative study.
Kendra J Kamp, Hailey Morgan, Linda Yoo and 3 others
PMID 36511394WHAT IT FOUND
Patients with IBS and anxiety or depression described bowel symptoms and mood symptoms feeding into each other.
They tried many strategies, found the low FODMAP diet burdensome and ineffective, and said unsupervised diet advice and dismissal worsened distress.
Key findings
01Participants described their bowel symptoms and anxiety or depression as feeding into each other, with each worsening the other.
02Every participant who had tried the low FODMAP diet said it was ineffective for them, although some used it to identify trigger foods.
03Participants reported feeling dismissed by healthcare providers and difficulty accessing dietitian support, and unsupervised restrictive dieting worsened disordered eating concerns for some.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study included 12 participants recruited online, so the findings may not represent all patients with IBS and anxiety or depression. The sample was 75% female and had IBS for greater than 10 years, which may shape their experiences. Interviews occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may have influenced perceptions of symptom management. All participants could read and write English, so language barriers were not represented. The study was qualitative, so it describes experiences and needs but does not test whether any intervention works.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the low FODMAP diet or physical therapy works for IBS with anxiety or depression. This study reports what 12 patients said they had tried and how they felt about it, not tested treatment effects.