Can Depression Cause Stomach Pain

What Is Samhsas National Helpline

SAMHSAs National Helpline, , or TTY: is a confidential, free, 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a-year, information service, in English and Spanish, for individuals and family members facing mental and/or substance use disorders. This service provides referrals to local treatment facilities, support groups, and community-based organizations. Callers can also order free publications and other information.

Also visit the online treatment locators.

Your Stomach Ache Goes Away When You Avoid A Phobia

You might even know the types of things that make you uncomfortable, or even particular things that you fear big time. Dr. Zarnegar says that if your stomach feels better when you avoid an anxiety-provoking situation such as flying, dating, or public speaking, that might be a hint these things are connected. But avoiding your fears can cause problems, too.

For example, you might really want a romantic partner, and have intense fear and emotional challenges around intimacy that could lead to a physical symptoms like stomach aches, she says. Then when you avoid that fear, like canceling a date, you feel better.

Unfortunately, many of the things we fear the most are things we have to encounter frequently, or are things we want to do to move forward in our lives. These are all issues you might want to tackle with the help of a professional, but things like journaling and meditation can also help you connect to and understand your feelings.

Stones In The Gallbladder

The gallbladder is a small organ that sits below the liver. It is responsible for storing and dispensing bile. Gallbladder stones are most common in women 40 or older who are overweight. When the stone moves from the gallbladder into the small intestine, or if the stone becomes stuck in the biliary duct, it can cause pain and other symptoms. High-fat foods often exacerbate gallbladder stones because a high volume of bile is needed to digest fat.

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Childhood Stomach Aches May Lead To Anxiety Depression As An Adult

Stomach aches may be a normal part of life for some children, but a new study shows that unexplained abdominal pain at an early age may cause anxiety or depression come adulthood.

Research published online Aug. 12 in Pediatrics shows that 51 percent of children who had abdominal pain as children also had an anxiety disorder sometime during their lifetime. Thirty percent had a current diagnosis at the time they were surveyed.

“A decade later, individuals who had stomach pain continued to have high rates of anxiety disorders, even if they no longer had stomach pain,” study author Lynn Walker, a professor of pediatrics at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., told HealthDay.

For comparison, only 20 percent of people who did not have abdominal issues when they were a kid had an anxiety disorder during their lifetime.

The authors pointed out that between eight and 25 percent of all children experience chronic stomach pain without a known medical cause like an infection or blockage, which is known as “functional abdominal pain.”

“It’s very prevalent, and it’s one of the most common reasons that children and adolescents end up in their pediatrician’s office. It’s one of the most common reasons kids are missing school,” Dr. Eva Szigethy, head of the Medical Coping Clinic at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center, said to Reuters. She was not involved in the study.

Mental Health Should Be A Priority

Arthur Kleinman is a professor of Medical Anthropology and Psychiatry at Harvard University and world expert on mental health. Kleinman has carried out various studies related to social suffering and mental health.

Mental health is a huge public health issue. The WHO reported that The estimated costs of scaling up treatment, primarily psychosocial counseling and antidepressant medication, amounted to US$ 147 billion. However, it also reported that the benefits far outweigh the costs.

We need to provide treatment, now, to those who need it most, and in the communities where they live. Until we do, mental illness will continue to eclipse the potential of people and economies.

-Arthur Kleinman-

In this sense, WHO ensures that its essential to expand mental health services on a global scale. As a result, wed be able to ensure well-being for the entire population at different socioeconomic levels.

WHO also clarifies that the Sustainable Development Goals, approved by the United Nations General Assembly, propose reducing a third of premature deaths by non-contagious diseases by 2030. It plans to achieve this by promoting prevention and treatment of mental illnesses.

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Stress Effects On The Body

Stress affects all systems of the body including the musculoskeletal, respiratory, cardiovascular, endocrine, gastrointestinal, nervous, and reproductive systems.

Stress effects on the body.

Our bodies are well equipped to handle stress in small doses, but when that stress becomes long-term or chronic, it can have serious effects on your body.

Musculoskeletal system

When the body is stressed, muscles tense up. Muscle tension is almost a reflex reaction to stressthe bodys way of guarding against injury and pain.

With sudden onset stress, the muscles tense up all at once, and then release their tension when the stress passes. causes the muscles in the body to be in a more or less constant state of guardedness. When muscles are taut and tense for long periods of time, this may trigger other reactions of the body and even promote stress-related disorders.

For example, both tension-type headache and migraine headache are associated with chronic muscle tension in the area of the shoulders, neck and head. Musculoskeletal pain in the low back and upper extremities has also been linked to stress, especially job stress.

Relaxation techniques and other stress-relieving activities and therapies have been shown to effectively reduce muscle tension, decrease the incidence of certain stress-related disorders, such as headache, and increase a sense of well-being. For those who develop chronic pain conditions, stress-relieving activities have been shown to improve mood and daily function.

Binge Drinking Causes Acid

Moderate drinking will not hurt your digestive system, but binge drinking increases acid production in your stomach, and can cause heartburn and aggravate other digestive disorders.

Binge drinking is defined as drinking 8 or more units of alcohol in 1 session for men, and drinking more than 6 units in 1 session for women.

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Remedies For Stomach Problems Cause Due To Anxiety

To overcome the symptoms of stomach problems, you are required to treat your anxiety by evaluating its severity level. There are some strategies, which you need to use to reduce the symptoms of stomach problems caused by anxiety.

These were some of the methods that you may implement when you are suffering from anxiety attacks and also to prevent stomach problems. You may consult your doctor and undergo a test to evaluate the severity of anxiety and get treatment and personalized recommendations to overcome anxiety and stomach problems.

Not Just Your Mind Here Are 5 Things Depression Can Do To Your Body

Depression is perhaps the most misunderstood mental health ailment in India. Often considered just as a sad phase that will go away on its own, the ramifications of depression on the mind and body are more often than not ignored.

But the truth is that depression is not just a phase and that it actually alters the brain, because of which it needs medical intervention. Not just that, did you know that major depression can also wreck your bodys functioning, right from your immune system to your heart.

In fact, here is how having depression can impact your body:

1. Depression can cause inflammation in the bodyDepression and stress share an intimate relationship. In fact, a 2010 study published in the journal Current Immunology Review states that chronic stress initiates a series of changes in the way the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and adrenal gland interactthus triggering depression and anxiety.

Both chronic stress and depression, hence, are known to cause inflammation in the body and weaken the immune system. Many scientists are also trying to understand whether its chronic inflammation that causes depression or whether its the other way round.

According to an article in Harvard Health Publishing, when your brain is distressedlike when you are suffering from depressionit can send signals to your gut and intestines, thus causing an upset stomach even though there is no physical cause for it.

Meghna Kriplani

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Pain Of Depression: Physical Symptoms Of Depression

Depression is a mental illness known as a mood disorder, so some people think the only effects of depression are on mood. This, however, is not the case. Depression is linked to many physical symptoms including insomnia, lack of energy and loss of interest in sex. Physical pain from depression is also widely recognized with up to half of all people with depression reporting physical pain. In a study of 25,000 patients, 50% of depressed patients reported unexplained, physical symptoms of depression.1

The physical pain of depression should be a major concern for doctors, as continuing pain reduces the chances for a successful recovery from depression and increases the possible risk of suicide.

You Feel Pain Almost Everyday At The Same Time

You might wake up every morning and feel anxiety before you go to work because your boss really stresses you out, or maybe you only feel anxious when you come home for the night because you live alone and feel uncomfortable being with your own thoughts.

If you are feeling anticipatory anxiety at the same time every day, Dr. Zarnegar says, chances are that there is something in your daily life that is triggering a lot of emotional distress.

âAdopt a non-judgmental attitude about your pain and develop a compassionate stance for your suffering,â she says. Basically don’t shame yourself because you have this pain. A kind attitude to yourself is the first step to long-term solutions.

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Physical Symptoms Of Depression

Fatigue

One of the most common symptoms of depression is the feeling of being constantly tired and drained.

While depression exhaustion can be mental, it often presents as a lack of physical energy.

This may occur as a result of low-quality sleep, especially for those that attempt to manage their depression with drugs or alcohol.

For some people, low quality sleep means insomnia and sleep deprivation, while for others it might mean sleeping constantly without ever feeling rested.

Alcohol adds to this effect by interrupting the REM cycle, causing the brain to miss out on the most restorative periods of sleep throughout the night.

Incessant fatigue makes working and socializing especially difficult, and can contribute to the sad and hopeless feelings that often accompany depression.

Fatigue may also cause a depressed individual to abandon their workout routine and become less active, which can exacerbate depression over time.

Aches and Pains

Depression can quite literally hurt. Just as when you have the flu and your body seems to ache all over, depression can cause mild pain and discomfort to amplify, becoming severely distracting and debilitating.

Because our brains are responsible for producing the sensation of pain, poor mental health can cause inappropriate responses to varying degrees of pain.

Research has confirmed that depression lowers pain tolerance, intensifying pain that would otherwise be manageable.

Digestive Issues

Headaches

Stop Smoking To Prevent Reflux

Smoking can weaken the muscle that controls the lower end of the food pipe and allow acid from the stomach to travel in the wrong direction back up, a process known as reflux.

Reflux causes the symptoms of heartburn, and can bring on or aggravate stomach ulcers and inflammatory conditions of the bowel.

Smoking is also an important risk factor for stomach cancer.

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In General What Conditions Do Gastroenterologists Treat

Gastroenterologists can evaluate for and treat a wide variety of conditions, including inflammatory bowel disease , gastroesophageal reflux disease , celiac disease, peptic ulcer disease, obesity and more. GI doctors also routinely perform screenings for colon cancer.

My area of specialty is in prevention and early detection of cancers such as colorectal, gastric and pancreatic cancer. I enjoy helping patients, especially those with a family history, understand their risk for cancer while offering genetic testing, screening and more.

Overall, its important for patients to openly discuss stress and GI symptoms with their doctors. Primary care doctors can help manage stress and treat symptoms, but in some cases it may be necessary to see a gastroenterologist to evaluate for other conditions.

Weight Loss Or Weight Gain

Your mood may impact your diet. For some, depression causes a loss of appetite that could lead to unnecessary weight loss.

For others with depression, feelings of hopelessness may result in poor eating choices and a loss of interest in exercise. Reaching for foods high in sugars, fats, and starchy carbohydrates is also common. Increased appetite and weight gain are also side effects of some medications for depression.

Obesity also seems to be common in people with depression, according to an older survey by the . The survey, conducted between 2005 and 2010, found that approximately 43 percent of adults with depression are obese.

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Can Stress Cause Stomach Pain

Anxiety and stress are closely related. But they are technically different conditions. It is possible to experience a significant amount of stress without experiencing anxiety. Yet the causes of stomach pain from stress are similar. Muscle tension, digestive issues all of these are also caused by stress and may contribute to stomach pain.

Symptom #1 Chest Pain

Firstly, if youre experiencing chest pain of any kind, it is extremely important that you get it checked immediately to rule out heart attacks and other serious conditions.

But, chest pain can actually be linked to depression. Seems strange, but there is a good reason: depression often goes hand-in-hand with anxiety and panic attacks, which are typically felt in the chest.

In fact studies have shown that depression is one of the more common explanations of chest pain, making this a helpful indicator for diagnosis.

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Can Gastric Disorders Contribute To Anxiety And Depression

Dr. Randi Fredricks, Ph.D. is a therapist, researcher and author with a Ph.D. in Psychology and a Doctorate in Naturopathy. Dr. Fredricks works…Read More

It turns out that stomach problems can cause a lot more than just physical discomfort. Research has suggested that gastrointestinal troubles may be linked with anxiety and depression as well.

It is probably no surprise that stomach issues can cause stress, but they can also lead to significant mental health problems. The stomach complaints most strongly associated with anxiety and depression appear to be conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome . However, a 2011 Stanford University study discovered that even short-term digestive problems can lead to mental health issues later.

Of course, not all stomach irritation is related with lifelong psychological problems. The Stanford study noted that the exact impact most likely depends on when gastrointestinal trouble occurs during someones development. It is also likely influenced by genetics and other environmental factors.

Research has found that around 20 percent of Americans suffer from persistent or recurring pain in the upper stomach region, related to conditions such as IBS. A number of studies have shown that these individuals are significantly more likely to experience anxiety or depression.

References

You Feel Free Of Pain When Youre Relaxed

Dr. Zarnegar says that another indicator that your stomach issues might be attached to something psychological is if you feel free of pain in a relaxing and safe environment. If particular stressor is the cause for your emotional unrest, removing that will do a lot to help.

âIf the pain is always happening at work but during the weekends you are feeling better, it could be related to some negative environment at work,â she says. Whatever it is, itâs worth exploring to see what options you have to tackle the issue head on. It can also be deeper psychological issues from childhood, as well, and they show up or are triggered by stressful situations.

Even if you have yet to figure out the particular trigger, if you do know that being relaxed helps you to feel better, the more you can incorporate self-care into your habits, the better. Dr. Zarnegar says that working in meditation and breathing exercises is a helpful tool.

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Achieving Remission In Patients With Physical Symptoms

Treating both the emotion and the physical symptoms associated with depression together is an important part of achieving remission. Unlike selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors such as sertraline and paroxetine, the dual-action antidepressants venlafaxine and duloxetine inhibit the reuptake of both serotonin and norepinephrine. This dual action gives them a robust efficacy in combating depression and preventing the persistence of symptoms, which increases the likelihood of achieving remission. Numerous reports have indicated that therapeutic agents that act on multiple neurotransmitters are associated with higher rates of remission than are single agents. The selection of therapeutic agents proven to effectively promote both an elimination of a broad spectrum of symptoms and a return to full social functioning is important to the treatment of depression.

Because a majority of patients with depression initially seek treatment for the physical symptoms of depression rather than for their emotional symptoms, physicians are often aware of patients’ physical symptoms when treatment commences. Primary care physicians may want to consider using dual-action antidepressants as a first line-treatment in depressed patients who present with physical symptoms.