5 mental and psychological causes of stomach problems
Did you know that there is a strong connection between your brain and your gut? It’s why you get that feeling of “butterflies” in your stomach. It’s the reason for the term “gut-wrenching.” Your stomach and intestines are affected and influenced by your brain. In fact, that connection is so strong that doctors and scientists sometimes refer to the gut as the “second brain.” So if something is upsetting you mentally, that same feeling can be signaled to your stomach, therefore causing an upset stomach. That means your stomach or intestinal problems can be the cause or the result of the following mental and psychological disorders.
ANXIETY AND STRESS
Have you ever felt nauseated when you had to speak in public or go to an important meeting? Many people feel nauseated or experience abdominal pain in unfamiliar, uncomfortable or stressful situations. That pain and nausea are very real and surface when psychology combines with physical factors. Your gut’s physiology is affected by psychosocial factors such as anxiety and stress. Therefore, anxiety and stress can affect your gastrointestinal system’s movement and contractions. In fact, physical symptoms such as an upset stomach, nausea, diarrhea and constipation were more commonly found in individuals with an anxiety disorder according to Very Well Mind.
DEPRESSION
When someone mentions depression, many of us automatically think of sadness, crying and a deep feeling of hopelessness. While depression can, and does, take on these forms, it can cause physical pain as well. According to Healthline, that sinking feeling in your stomach that too many of us are familiar with is a sign of depression. That’s because depression can cause an inflamed digestive system, according to Harvard Medical School. Overwhelming feelings of depression can also disrupt your digestive track, causing further abdominal pain, constipation and diarrhea.
PHOBIAS
There are a variety of phobias that one can suffer from, ranging from a fear of spiders (arachnophobia) to hydrophobia (a fear of water). According to the NHS website, people with phobias often experience panic attacks and panic attacks can cause numerous physical symptoms, including nausea and a feeling of having butterflies in your stomach.
SOCIAL ANXIETY
The pandemic in 2020 made everyone a homebody, and it’s very normal to feel nervous or a bit on edge in certain social situations. But there are people out there who suffer from extreme social anxiety, otherwise known as social phobia. This phobia stirs up extreme feelings of anxiety, fear and stress over the thought of any and all social interaction and can cause nausea, an upset stomach and muscle tension in your abdomen, according to the Mayo Clinic.
TRAUMA
According to Net Doctor, it is very normal for stomach issues to have a direct correlation to emotional and physical trauma and abuse. People often say they are “gutted” by a certain traumatic experience and that they can’t “stomach” thinking about said experience. People who have suffered a trauma also experience a feeling that their stomach feels “turned” or becomes knotted out of fear when the traumatic experience is brought up or something similar to the traumatic experience occurs.
Studies conducted by the University Malaya Medical Center have found a direct link between anxiety, depression and gastrointestinal symptoms. These studies have also discovered that people with at least one gastrointestinal symptom (ie: stomach pain, nausea, diarrhea) are more likely to have anxiety or depression than those without gastrointestinal symptoms. Additionally, Harvard Medical School reported that people who suffer from stomach problems feel pain more acutely than others, which is a result of their brains being more responsive to pain signals that come from the gastrointestinal tract.
While suffering from stomach issues is certainly not fun no matter what the cause of them are, the good news is that there are ways to help treat the unpleasant stomach problems that are caused by mental and psychological disorders. Many people deal with and learn how to manage anxiety, depression, trauma and phobias in therapy. Decreased feelings of anxiety and depression could very well mean less stomach problems. Additionally, Very Well Mind recommends avoiding excessive caffeine, which can increase feelings of anxiety, altering your diet to incorporate more gut-friendly, rich in fiber foods that contain probiotics and practicing stress management techniques such as deep breathing and meditation.
Leave a reply →