IBD and depression: what should I know?

Depression may involve low mood, loss of interest, hopelessness, irritability, difficulty concentrating, fatigue or changes in sleep. IBD symptoms and uncertainty can make daily activities harder, while poor sleep and ongoing exhaustion can reduce coping. Insomnia, daytime sleepiness and feeling anxious may overlap with depression or reflect active bowel disease, medicine effects or another health problem. A clinician considers the whole pattern rather than treating one symptom in isolation.

Tell your GP or IBD team about mood changes as well as bowel symptoms. Ask for help if low mood lasts, interest falls or ordinary tasks feel difficult. Treatment may include talking therapy, practical support, medication or a combination, alongside review of IBD control and sleep. Keep medicines as prescribed, note changes in bowel symptoms and mood, and protect regular meals, gentle activity and contact with trusted people where possible.

Seek urgent help if you are thinking about suicide, self-harm or harming someone else, or cannot keep yourself safe. Contact your healthcare team promptly for rapidly worsening mood, severe withdrawal, inability to eat or drink, or a sudden change in behaviour. A flare with dehydration, severe pain or bleeding also needs prompt medical assessment, regardless of mood.

Could my mood or sleep symptoms be linked to IBD activity, treatment or depression? Which talking therapies are available? Would a medicine review help? How can my bowel and mental-health care be coordinated?