Antidepressant use is common among people with inflammatory bowel disease, with almost 30% of patients having taken them and many using them long term, an Australian study shows.
A review of almost 300 patients treated for IBD at the Royal Adelaide Hospital found that 18% were currently using antidepressants and 29% had taken antodepressants during their lifetime.
These rates are much higher than rates of antidepressant use of around8.5% in the general population, note the authors of a study in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research.
About 60% of patients had Crohn’s disease and 33% had ulcerative colitis. Most of the patients were taking antidepressants for depression, and only two were taking them for somatic complaints.
About half the patients using antidepressants were taking an...
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