The Relationship Between Anxiety/Depression and Gastrointestinal Symptoms

This study investigated the relationship between anxiety/depression and gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with unipolar depression. The results showed that anxiety/depression was significantly correlated with total GSRS-IBS score in all symptom clusters, except constipation and gastroesophageal reflux. All gastrointestinal symptoms correlated slightly more with anxiety than depression except constipation which correlated more to depression.

The findings of this study suggest that anxiety/depression may play a role in the development and/or maintenance of gastrointestinal symptoms. These findings have implications for the treatment of anxiety/depression and gastrointestinal symptoms, as both conditions may need to be addressed in order to achieve optimal outcomes.