10 Signs You Should See a Doctor for Depression

When it's more than just the blues

by Esther Crain
Feeling down in the dumps every so often is a normal part of life. But when you're gripped by an unrelenting sadness or hopelessness that keeps you from going about your usual routine, it's time to pay attention: it's the hallmark sign of clinical depression, and an estimated 7% of adults will experience it, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Even with this telltale sign in place, it's tough for a depressed person to know if she really has the disease. "Almost all of the symptoms of depression on their own are experienced by everyone at one time or another," explains Jennifer Payne, MD, director of the Women's Mood Disorders Center at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. If you've been dealing with four or more of the following symptoms every day for two weeks, and they've impaired the way you usually function (for example, prevented you from working, being a responsible parent, or seeing friends), it's time to check in with your doctor.

You're eating more (or less) than usual
Depression leaves you withdrawn and checked out, and that can manifest as a loss of appetite. "If your brain is preoccupied with negative thoughts, you may forget to eat or lose interest in cooking or preparing meals," says Yvonne Thomas, PhD, Los Angeles-based psychologist specializing in depression and self-esteem. On the other hand, sometimes the disease kicks in the opposite effect, making you hungry and driving you to overeat. "The mix of emotions that tend to accompany depression—sadness, pessimism about the future, and low self-esteem—can compel you to try to soothe your feelings with food binges," says Thomas.

You're sleeping too much or too little
Some people with depression find themselves snoozing under the covers more; the disengagement and dip in energy make you tired all the time, says Thomas. "Sleeping more is also a way depressed people escape from their sadness; it becomes a refuge," she adds. Others with depression experience restless or interrupted sleep or even insomnia—they're too wired by obsessive thoughts or ruminations to wind down and score the seven to eight hours per night most adults need. Thing is, not only can sleep changes be a tipoff to the disease, but they also make it worse. When you're not getting the proper amount of shuteye, your body's internal clock gets out of sync, and you're even more tired and unfocused...and less able to cope.

Small things agitate you
It's a sneaky sign few people recognize: depression can show up as heightened irritability, says Jennifer Wolkin, PhD, clinical assistant professor in the department of psychiatry and anesthesiology at New York University's Joan H. Tisch Center for Women's Health. You might feel cranky and grumpy; little things that normally wouldn't register set you off and leave you snapping at friends and coworkers. Part of the prickliness may be the way depression exacerbates normal hormonal swings. But it could also be triggered by the weight of so many heavy emotions. "When people are in physical pain, they often get angry and irritated easily, and it's the same with psychological pain—you don't feel good or like your usual self, and that saps your patience and puts you more on edge," says Thomas.

You can't concentrate or focus
Forgetting work deadlinesA or when to pick up your kids from a playdate? Feel like your mind resembles an out-of-focus photo, and the fuzziness has made a dent in the way you weigh choices and make decisions? That's your brain on depression. Being preoccupied with thoughts of sadness and emptiness can plunge you into a head fog that affects your job, memory, and decision-making skills, says Wolkin. In turn, that unfocused thinking can lead you to make poor choices or take on unhealthy, risky behavior.

 You don't enjoy the things that once made you happy
You used to hit happy hour with your favorite group of coworkers, but for the last few weeks, you've been ducking out. Or you always looked forward to your nightly run, but these days, you can't muster the interest. Not taking part in things you once enjoyed because they no longer give you pleasure is a telltale sign of depression. "A person who is simply blue might skip a few outings, then get back in the swing of things," says Wolkin. "But depression makes you apathetic about activities and hobbies that once gave you joy, and that makes you isolate yourself." It sets up that vicious cycle: depression robs you of your ability to derive pleasure from experiences, so you stop doing the very things that could brighten your mood.

 You feel down on yourself and worthless
If you're constantly putting yourself down, or you feel worthless or inconsequential, something is up. "Repetitive thoughts along the lines of 'I'm not good enough' or 'I don't matter' are dangerous because they can fuel self-harming behavior," says Wolkin. When you think this way, you tend to find ways to verify the negativity, and that in turn makes you more depressed and more at risk. Extreme guilt for things you aren't solely responsible for—for example, a bad breakup or sudden job loss—also bashes your self-esteem and is a tip-off to depression, says Dr. Payne.

 You're preoccupied with thoughts of death
Persistent thoughts about ending your life, wondering how friends and family would feel if you went and did it, pondering different ways to carry out the act, and even general thoughts about death are all strong indicators that it's time to reach out for professional help, says Wolkin. "Because these thoughts pose such a direct threat to your life, it's important to seek help if you experience them daily or almost every day for two weeks, even if you don't recognize any other symptoms of depression in yourself," she says.

You're panicky and anxious
Overwhelming feelings of fear are usually thought to signify an anxiety disorder. And while that's often true, they can also be a clue to depression. "Anxious feelings often coincide with depression, and some depressed people have panic attacks," says Dr. Payne. Anxiety is more than just the normal apprehension most of us feel when we're challenged; it's a constant feeling of panic and obsessive thoughts that often show up in physical symptoms such as rapid heartbeat, excessive perspiration, and sleep problems. The tricky thing is, even though anxiety can signal depression, it's possible that a person with depression also has an anxiety disorder as well. If you feel overwhelming anxiety, consider it another crucial reason to seek help from your doc.

Your energy level has hit the wall
Depression-related lethargy may be simply the consequence of not eating enough or sleeping too much. But it's also the result of having a black cloud of sadness or hopelessness over you all the time. Dealing with chronic emotional pain is an energy suck, and it makes you too dragged and tired to tackle routine tasks, not to mention work and family responsibilities. "You feel overwhelmed by day to day life; even getting out of bed and taking a shower becomes exhausting," says Wolkin. When you're always tired and that fatigue impairs your life, it's time to seek help.

You're dealing with unexplained aches and pains
"Emotional pain from depression that you aren't getting help for can be channeled throughout your body and show up as physical ailments, like headaches, stomach problems, neck and back pain, even nausea," says Thomas. "I see this with many of my patients; they're holding so much sadness and distress inside, these feelings end up playing out in other ways." Not every cramp or twinge is a symptom of depression, of course. But if you're suffering from a chronic ailment you can't attribute to another cause that isn't clearing up on its own, "see a doctor to get it checked out, but also consider it a possible sign of depression too," says Thomas.
Source:  http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20854499_11,00.html#

Music therapy reduces depression in children and adolescents

Researchers at Queen's University Belfast have discovered that music therapy reduces depression in children and adolescents with behavioural and emotional problems.
In the largest ever study of its kind, the researchers in partnership with the Northern Ireland Music Therapy Trust, found that children who received music therapy had significantly improved self-esteem and significantly reduced depression compared with those who received treatment without music therapy.
The study, which was funded by the Big Lottery fund, also found that those who received music therapy had improved communicative and interactive skills, compared to those who received usual care options alone.
251 children and young people were involved in the study which took place between March 2011 and May 2014. They were divided into two groups - 128 underwent the usual care options, while 123 were assigned to music therapy in addition to usual care. All were being treated for emotional, developmental or behavioural problems. Early findings suggest that the benefits are sustained in the long term.
Professor Sam Porter of the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Queen's University, who led the study, said: "This study is hugely significant in terms of determining effective treatments for children and young people with behavioural problems and mental health needs."
Dr Valerie Holmes, Centre for Public Health, School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences and co-researcher, added: "This is the largest study ever to be carried out looking at music therapy's ability to help this very vulnerable group, and is further evidence of how Queen's University is advancing knowledge and changing lives."
Ciara Reilly, Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Music Therapy Trust, said: "Music therapy has often been used with children and young people with particular mental health needs, but this is the first time its effectiveness has been shown by a definitive randomised controlled trial in a clinical setting. The findings are dramatic and underscore the need for music therapy to be made available as a mainstream treatment option. For a long time we have relied on anecdotal evidence and small-scale research findings about how well music therapy works. Now we have robust clinical evidence to show its beneficial effects."
Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/284296.php

Childhood psychological abuse as harmful as sexual or physical abuse

Children who are emotionally abused and neglected face similar and sometimes worse mental health problems as children who are physically or sexually abused, yet psychological abuse is rarely addressed in prevention programs or in treating victims, according to a new study published by the American Psychological Association.

"Given the prevalence of childhood psychological abuse and the severity of harm to young victims, it should be at the forefront of mental health and social service training," said study lead author Joseph Spinazzola, PhD, of The Trauma Center at Justice Resource Institute, Brookline, Massachusetts. The article appears in a special online issue of the APA journal Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy.
Researchers used the National Child Traumatic Stress Network Core Data Set to analyze data from 5,616 youths with lifetime histories of one or more of three types of abuse: psychological maltreatment (emotional abuse or emotional neglect), physical abuse and sexual abuse. The majority (62 percent) had a history of psychological maltreatment, and nearly a quarter (24 percent) of all the cases were exclusively psychological maltreatment, which the study defined as care-giver inflicted bullying, terrorizing, coercive control, severe insults, debasement, threats, overwhelming demands, shunning and/or isolation.
Children who had been psychologically abused suffered from anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, symptoms of post-traumatic stress and suicidality at the same rate and, in some cases, at a greater rate than children who were physically or sexually abused. Among the three types of abuse, psychological maltreatment was most strongly associated with depression, general anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, attachment problems and substance abuse. Psychological maltreatment that occurred alongside physical or sexual abuse was associated with significantly more severe and far-ranging negative outcomes than when children were sexually and physically abused and not psychologically abused, the study found. Moreover, sexual and physical abuse had to occur at the same time to have the same effect as psychological abuse alone on behavioral issues at school, attachment problems and self-injurious behaviors, the research found.
"Child protective service case workers may have a harder time recognizing and substantiating emotional neglect and abuse because there are no physical wounds," said Spinazzola. "Also, psychological abuse isn't considered a serious social taboo like physical and sexual child abuse. We need public awareness initiatives to help people understand just how harmful psychological maltreatment is for children and adolescents."
Nearly 3 million U.S. children experience some form of maltreatment annually, predominantly by a parent, family member or other adult caregiver, according to the U.S. Children's Bureau. The American Academy of Pediatrics in 2012 identified psychological maltreatment as "the most challenging and prevalent form of child abuse and neglect."
For the current study, the sample was 42 percent boys and was 38 percent white; 21 percent African-American; 30 percent Hispanic; 7 percent other; and 4 percent unknown. The data were collected between 2004 and 2010 with the average age of the children at the beginning of the collection between 10 and 12 years. Clinicians interviewed the children, who also answered questionnaires to determine behavioral health symptoms and the traumatic events they had experienced. In addition, caregivers responded to a questionnaire with 113 items pertaining to the child's behavior. Various sources, including clinicians' reports, provided each child's trauma history involving psychological maltreatment, physical abuse or sexual abuse.
Source: https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4592506238738253894#editor/target=post;postID=568757117670324522

Obesity and Depression Often Twin Ills, Study Finds

The combination was so common that 43 percent of depressed adults were also obese, according to the report. That association was even more prevalent among those taking antidepressants: 55 percent of those patients were also obese.
Report author Laura Pratt, an epidemiologist at the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics, could not explain why or how obesity and depression are so often linked.
“We are just describing the relationship, but we don’t have anything in our data that would help us answer the why question,” she said.
The researchers do know that as the severity of depression increases so does the odds of being obese, Pratt said. However, the study did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.
In addition, gender and race played a role in the connection between obesity and depression. According to the report, women suffering from depression were more likely to be obese than women who were not depressed, no matter the age group.
Also, more white women suffering from depression were obese than white women of normal weight. This relationship was not seen in black and Mexican-American women, the researchers found.
Tony Tang, an adjunct professor in the department of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, had some theories on the connection.
“Both depression and obesity impact many aspects of life, and their relationship is naturally complex. Some of the connections are obvious: Obesity can cause low self-esteem, social isolation and stressful health problems. All of them can cause depression. Depression can lead some patients to binge eat and get obese,” he said.
The relationship goes both ways, Tang said. “Many aspects of a modern lifestyle can cause both depression and obesity,” he said.
For example, many people spend hours watching TV at home by themselves, playing video games, watching Internet porn or driving to work — activities that burn no calories. These activities also isolate people, Tang said.
“Social isolation is the most important risk factor for depression, because social support can protect people from other harmful risk factors of depression,” he said.
Another common link might be diet, Tang said. Overeating and unhealthy eating habits can increase the odds of depression and obesity, he said.
Medication for depression might also play a part, Tang said. “A few popular antidepressants, such as Paxil, are known to cause weight gains. Wellbutrin, a different type of antidepressant, might aid weight loss,” he said.
Simon Rego, director of psychology training at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, said psychotherapy can help.
“In particular, behavioral therapy, which typically emphasizes behavioral activation, may be particularly useful here, as one component of the therapy is designed to target inertia by having patients begin to schedule and slowly increase their activity level, which would, theoretically, increase their chances of both improving their mood and losing weight,” Rego said.
Tang added: “Living a healthier lifestyle, eating healthy food, drinking only moderately, spending less time on TV and on the Internet, and spending more time exercising can help prevent both depression and obesity.”
Source: http://news.health.com/2014/10/16/obesity-and-depression-often-twin-ills-study-finds/ 

How to predict who will suffer the most from stress

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More than 23 per cent of Canadians report being stressed or very stressed on most days. While chronic stress increases the risk of poor mental and physical health, not everyone is affected the same way. Some cope well, but for others -- especially those most likely to sweat the small stuff -- chronic stress can be harmful.

Thankfully, new research from Concordia University has found a way to identify those most susceptible to stress. That's a huge help for healthcare professionals working to stop stress before it gets out of control.
The proof is in the pulse
In a paper recently published in the journal Stress, Concordia psychology professor Jean-Philippe Gouin followed 76 university students during periods of lower stress at the beginning of term and higher stress during the exam period. He found that, although all students experience similar challenges during finals, only some of them develop significant distress.
With the help of Concordia colleague Sonya Deschênes and Michel Dugas from the Université du Québec en Outaouais, Gouin recorded participants' heart rate variability while they were relaxing and while they were thinking about things they tend to worry about most. They also tracked participants' moods at a time of low stress early in the semester and at a time of high stress right before exams.
They found that those who exhibited a less variable heartbeat when they started worrying were more likely to be highly stressed later on, when faced with finals.
Gouin, who holds a Canada Research Chair in Chronic Stress and Health, explains: "At rest, a more variable heartbeat is a good thing. It shows that your parasympathetic nervous system is hard at work. That's the system that's responsible for the 'rest-and-digest' state of being -- the opposite of 'fight-or-flight.' The rest-and-digest phase puts you in a calm state that allows you to conserve and replenish your energy."
Real threat or misplaced worry?
"When you're facing a real threat in your life, a regular heartbeat helps you deal with the situation. If you encounter a lion in the jungle, you want your heartbeat to stay at consistently high levels so that you can run away as fast as you can," says Gouin. "But if your body shows the same reaction when you worry about something that may or may not happen -- like failing an exam -- then you might be more susceptible to stress.
"By pinpointing those in the general population who are most vulnerable to stress, we can intervene before they hit the breaking point -- and hopefully prevent the negative consequences of stress by doing so. That's why it's important to have an objective diagnostic tool like this one."

Source:  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140930132724.htm

Movies About Depression

Many movies have portrayed depression. The following are some of the better ones that have been made in recent decades. These movies show depression in a realistic and honest manner. They also provide an excellent movie-viewing experience due to their casting and production quality.

Getty Images /HandoutCollection:Hulton ArchiveCredit/Getty Images

1. Girl Interrupted

This film tells the story of how 18-year-old Susanna Kaysen (Winona Ryder) is hospitalized following a suicide attempt in April 1967.
While there, she meets other girls with an assortment of mental illnesses, including: Polly (Elisabeth Moss), who has disfigured herself with self-inflicted burns; Lisa (Angelina Jolie), a sociopath who is continually flouting authority and escaping the hospital; Georgina (Clea DuVall), a pathological liar who is romantically involved with a violent patient from another ward; and Daisy (Britney Murphy), a molestation victim and bulimic who commits suicide on her birthday.
Following Daisy's suicide, Susanna becomes more cooperative in her treatment, begins to make progress and is soon released from the hospital after having been there for 18 months.

2. Sylvia

In this account of the life and suicide of troubled poet Sylvia Plath (played by Gwyneth Paltrow), we follow her descent into depression following her separation from her husband, fellow poet Ted Hughes (Daniel Craig).
Much like the character in her novel The Bell Jar, Plath goes through the motions of living, trying in vain to find some way out of her deep depression. She finds herself feeling emotionally closed-off and isolated. This feeling is well-illustrated when she attempts to carry on an affair with a friend but finds herself unable to emotionally engage with him. In fact, the only thing that captures her attention is when he mentions his own failed suicide attempt.
Sadly, there is no happy ending to this story. Plath took her own life when she was only 30. However, the movie does an excellent job of portraying the toll that this illness can take on even the most promising and talented of people.

3. Helen

Helen (Ashley Judd) is a music professor and pianist who finds herself slowly slipping into mental problems that she is unable to fight. She finds herself becoming alienated from her husband, her child and her students because she is not able to control her feelings and behaviors.
As her condition worsens, she attempts suicide several times and finds herself barely able to speak to anyone. Her relationship with one particular student, however, is her saving grace. Mathilda is a gifted student who is fighting her own depression; the relationship between the two becomes the central focus of the movie, with Mathilda offering the kind of support that only someone who has also been through depression can offer.
The film continues to portray Helen's eventual recovery, showing devastating impact mental illness has not only on Helen, but also on the people who love her.

4. Prozac Nation

Based on Elizabeth Wurtzel's memoir of the same name, this film stars Christina Ricci in the role of Elizabeth, a young woman beginning college at Harvard.
Elizabeth struggles in both her school and personal life. She is a promising writer but often finds herself undoing her hard work through her anger and out-of-control behavior. She has difficulty making connections with people and often lashes out at boyfriends and friends, driving them away. Even though she knows what she is doing is counterproductive, she finds it hard to stop.
At times she falls into deep depression, where she is in a trance-like state and unable to complete her work and school commitments.
Eventually, Elizabeth gets into therapy and begins treatment with Prozac. She gains some relief from her illness, although she continues to struggle even as she makes some breakthroughs.

5. The Hours

This story is based on Michael Cunningham's novel about depression and how it affects three women: Virginia Woolf (Nicole Kidman), Laura Brown (Julianne Moore) and Clarissa Vaughan (Meryl Streep).
Although their three stories take place in different decades, they occur on the same day of the same month and are linked together by a reference to Woolf's novel Mrs. Dalloway. As the women live through this one particular day in their lives we see how depression and suicide affect their characters.
In the first story, Clarissa is a New Yorker who is preparing an award party for a long-time friend who has AIDS. Her friend commits suicide that night, feeling that the award is meaningless since he didn't receive it before he was so close to death from his illness.
In the second story, a pregnant Laura, desperately unhappy with her life, secretly checks into a hotel with the intention of taking an overdose of pills. She has a change of heart, however, when she wakes up from her unsuccessful attempt.
And finally, there is Woolf's own story, in which she is beginning to write her novel, Mrs. Dalloway, while struggling to cope with depression, headaches and her feelings about being a lesbian.
Woolf's suicide by drowning, which occurred on a different day, bookends the movie.

6. Revolutionary Road

Based on Richard Yates' period novel, Revolutionary Road, this film tells the story of a young couple in the 1950's who seemingly have ideal lives. Under the surface, however, April (Kate Winslet) and Frank (Leonardo DiCaprio) Wheeler are less than happy. Frank's well-paying job bores him, and April mourns the loss of her dream career in acting.
Eventually the couple hit upon the idea of going to Paris, which April believes will be the solution to all their problems. Instead, as the move comes closer to reality, they become more embroiled in their current situation. Frank's carefree attitude, brought about by the thought of moving to Paris, gains him even more success at work and a promotion. April becomes pregnant again.
April and Frank experience a great deal of conflict over April's desire to abort the baby. Frank gives up the dream of moving to Paris and taking the promotion, and April eventually decides to perform her own abortion without telling Frank. Tragically, she dies from the procedure.
One of the things this film illustrates well is how much appearances can be deceiving. Even though a person may seem to have it all, we may never actually know how bad their inner turmoil is until it's too late.

7. The Virgin Suicides

Based on Jeffrey Eugenides' novel, this film depicts the suicides of five sisters (Leslie Hayman, A.J. Cook, Chelse Swain, Kirsten Dunst and Hanna R. Hall) who come from a very strict and overprotective family (James Woods, Kathleen Turner), and their relationship with a group of four neighborhood boys who attempt to befriend them from a distance.
The film begins when the youngest sister, Cecilia, takes her own life by jumping from a window and becoming impaled on an iron fence. Their parents respond by making the other girls even more overprotected and isolated.
Struggling to cope with their sister's death, the girls begin to act out and break a curfew. In response, their mother decides to remove them from school and keep them at home indefinitely. During this period, the girls strike up a friendship with the boys through light signals and songs shared over the phone.
The film reaches its tragic climax one night when the girls invite the boys over, but the boys discover that the sisters have all just carried out a suicide pact.

8. Ordinary People

Based on the Judith Guest novel, Ordinary People deals with an upper-middle class family falling apart after the accidental death of a son.
Following the death of Buck (Scott Doebler), Calvin (Donald Sutherland) and Beth (Mary Tyler Moore) Jarrett struggle to cope. Calvin has difficulty connecting with his remaining son, Conrad (Timothy Hutton), while his wife remains in denial and behaves coldly toward Conrad, giving the appearance that she loved her other son more.
Conrad struggles as well. Feeling tremendous guilt about his brother's death, he ends up attempting suicide and being hospitalized for four months.
Eventually, through psychotherapy, Conrad learns to stop blaming himself and comes to accept that his mother is less than perfect. However, Beth leaves her family rather than face up to her emotions.
One of the strongest points of this film is its accurate portrayal of psychotherapy. In a 1999 article in Academic Psychiatry, the movie received high praise as one of the few films about psychotherapy that make good teaching tools for students.

9. A Single Man

This film, based on a novel by Christopher Isherwood, deals with a grieving English professor named George Falconer (Colin Firth), who, eight months after the death of his partner, is still struggling to cope with his grief.
Throughout the film, he spends the day getting his affairs together and planning his suicide. As he prepares, he remembers his lover and finds himself emotionally affected by the people he meets, including his best friend, a student and a male prostitute.
Touched by the efforts of his student to save his life, George makes the decision that he can go on living after all. Rather ironically, however, he then passes away from a heart attack.

10. The Fisher King

In this film, a former radio shock-jock (Jeff Bridges), who is feeling suicidal over a past mistake, attempts to find redemption by coming to the aid of a mentally ill homeless man who was hurt by his actions (Robin Williams).
Jack Lucas, the radio DJ, initially becomes depressed after his careless on-air comments trigger a caller to commit mass murder. Three years later, he finds his chance to make amends when some men, who think he is a bum, attempt to douse him in gasoline and set him on fire. After Parry, the homeless man, rescues him, he discovers that Parry's current mental illness is the result of witnessing his wife's murder at the hands of Jack's caller three years earlier. Jack decides that he will help Parry in his delusional quest for the Holy Grail in order to make up for the pain he has caused him. In the process, both men are reunited with the women they love.

Source:- http://depression.about.com/od/truestorie1/tp/Movies-About-Depression.htm

Home » News » Work and Career News » Depression Linked to Abnormal Pain Processing in IBS Patients

Depression Linked to Abnormal Pain Processing in IBS Patients

Patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) process pain signals from the gut abnormally, according to new research. These disturbed brain responses to pain are especially severe in patients with more depression symptoms.
“Our study has shown that patients with IBS are less able to suppress pain signals in the brain coming from the bowel and that depression plays a role herein,” said Professor Sigrid Elsenbruch from the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany.
“This study confirms the complex relationship between the gut and the brain and shows that affective disorders may contribute to the development or maintenance of disturbed pain processing in IBS.”
The research will be presented at the 22^nd United European Gastroenterology Week in Vienna. The findings suggest that depression, but not anxiety, contributes to the abnormal pain processing observed in IBS.
Depression and anxiety are often reported in patients with IBS, with a recent study reporting that 38 percent of IBS patients had clinically-confirmed depression (compared with six percent of healthy controls) and 32 percent had anxiety (compared with 13 percent of healthy controls).
“The fact that so many people with IBS have anxiety and depression has led many to speculate that IBS is primarily a psychological, not a physical, disorder,” said Elsenbruch.
“However, the condition is complex and most likely results from an interplay between psychological and biological factors.
“In fact, we don’t really know whether anxiety and depression result from having IBS or whether they contribute to the development or maintenance of symptoms. In many patients, both possibilities may be true at the same time.”
There has been quite a bit of scientific interest in the role of central nervous system mechanisms along the “brain-gut” axis in IBS. Studies have found that neural processing of visceral stimuli (stimuli generated from internal organs such as the intestine) is altered in IBS, with many IBS patients showing lower pain thresholds.
For the study, rectal distensions were performed using a pressure-controlled barostat system on 17 IBS patients as well as on 17 sex- and age-matched healthy controls. Neural activation in pain-related brain areas was evaluated through functional MRI (fMRI).
Interestingly, higher depression (but not anxiety) scores on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) were associated with reduced central pain inhibition in this study.
“Our findings suggest that patients with IBS do not process visceral pain signals in the same way as healthy people and are unable to suppress pain signals in the brain and, as a result, experience more pain from the same stimuli,” said Elsenbruch.
“The fact that the presence of depression was associated with altered brain responses suggests that depression may contribute to these abnormal pain processes in IBS patients.”

Source: http://psychcentral.com/news/2014/10/04/depression-linked-to-abnormal-pain-processing-in-ibs-patients/75721.html