Can Anxiety Cause Diarrhea?
Anxiety is a generalized term for multiple issues starting from the normal feeling of anxiety during some troublesome situations to harsh anxiety disorders which include a group of mental issues (generalized anxiety disorder/GAD, obsessive-compulsive disorder/OCD, panic disorders, and phobias). They typically correlate with numerous symptoms, both mental and physical.
In fact, you probably have noticed at least once, that when you are nervous or worried about something (which is, namely, anxiety), you may feel some discomfort in your guts. It can be bloating and constipation and in some people, it results in diarrhea issues. Are anxiety and diarrhea interrelated? Is anxiety causing diarrhea and vice versa? This article may help you to sort out this issue.
Does Anxiety Cause Diarrhea? Which Mechanisms Bond Diarrhea to Anxiety Issues?
According to the studies conducted by medical authorities in 2002 [1], there is a strong relationship between the functionality of the gastrointestinal system and the mental state of a person, namely, between depression and anxiety and multiple gut malfunctions. This relationship was called the “gut microbiota-brain axis”.
The study cleared out that anxiety is typically accompanied by the manifestation of the following gastrointestinal symptoms:
- Nausea
- Heartburn
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
All of them can either occur at the moment of anxiety issue or be persistent and lead to chronic gastrointestinal malfunctions.
Why Does Anxiety Cause Diarrhea?
If asked how anxiety-induced diarrhea occurs, we need to mention that our gastrointestinal tract contains unique microbiota which includes 100 trillions of useful and harmful bacteria helping our digestion. Although microbiota is present in anyone, it is quite a vulnerable and volatile system. Its balances could be interrupted by multiple factors. As ADAA claims [3], anxiety inducts in the body production of such factors unbalancing microbiota. When a person feels anxious, their body starts producing peculiar hormones and chemicals, like interleukin 1-beta, which enter the gastrointestinal tract and unbalance microbiota and this leads to diarrhea issues. The mechanism of such an introduction is simple.
Interleukin 1-beta, when injected into the gastrointestinal tract, alters its protective barrier and interferes with the process of water and sodium absorption by our guts. That results in diarrhea from anxiety.
Anxiety and IBS: Are They Correlated?
One more question related to anxiety diarrhea alerts is whether it causes IBS (Irritated Bowel Syndrome). Here is no direct correlation between IBS and anxiety disorders, but studies say [4] that regular diarrhea issues caused by anxiety can induct the development of more severe IBS. This happens due to the role of cytokines. Anxiety inducts the growth of the IL-1β and IL-10 levels and they impact the balance of the proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines. This imbalance causes or aggravates IBS.
Diarrhea May Be a Sign of Anxiety: When It Is Crucial to Consider It as a Symptom?
The good news is that diarrhea is not always a symptom of anxiety disorder. This malfunction can be caused by multiple reasons, from dysbiosis and viruses attacking guts to psychological factors or even changes in the lifestyle (i.e., so-called traveler’s diarrhea). At once, you should consider whether is diarrhea a symptom of anxiety if it is accompanied by panic attacks, loss of concentration, avoidance behavior, extra sweating, high blood pressure issues, and a feeling of constant fatigue occurring simultaneously.
Treatment for Anxiety and Diarrhea Caused By It
The whole process of treatment for diarrhea with anxiety is based on three pillars:
- Mitigation of diarrhea symptoms and maintenance of fluid and electrolyte balance in the body.
- Working with anxiety issues to reduce their manifestation.
- Overall therapy for further prevention of an anxiety attack followed by diarrhea (including lifestyle changes and psychotherapy).
The first part of anxiety-diarrhea treatment is devoted to the mitigation of diarrhea symptoms. It’s crucially important to prevent a patient from losing too much fluid and electrolytes which impact the whole well-being, inflammation-reducing therapy based on medications like loperamide, rifaximin, or/and eluxadoline.
The second part is working with anxiety issues which includes grounding practices (for example, the well-known 333 rule for anxiety relief), meditation practices, practicing mindfulness, changing eating habits and avoiding risky or stressful situations which become the triggers for anxiety attacks.
At once, to prevent further occurrence of diarrhea caused by anxiety, psychotherapeutic methods are used, including cognitive behavioral therapy, relaxation training, and gut-directed hypnotherapy.
Recapping the Facts About Diarrhea and Anxiety Interrelation
As you can see, diarrhea is among gut-related symptoms of anxiety and these two diagnoses are correlated as anxiety issues induct production of hormones and chemicals which badly impact the gastrointestinal tract and lead to diarrhea or further even to the IBS.
Suppose you face the unpleasant and threatening issue of diarrhea caused by anxiety, or you are diagnosed with an anxiety disorder followed by diarrhea. In that case, you can opt for relevant help from professionals both in gastroenterology and psychotherapy. In the URP Behavioral Health Center, we provide help to patients suffering from severe anxiety issues followed by diarrhea and help them retain their peaceful state of mind along with healthy microbiota with the help of cognitive behavioral methods and special practices for relaxation and meditation. Get the hand we outstretched to you and change your well-being for the better.
