Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a classic psychosomatic disease that occurs as a result of a specific type of personality reaction to stressful experiences. In the international classification of diseases, this syndrome belongs to the category of mental disorders - “somatoform dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system of the lower gastrointestinal tract”.
IBS is one of the most common categories of gastrointestinal disorders. Various variants of this disease are currently diagnosed in 10-20% of the world's population. As a rule, it is chronic and can last for many years.
The disease most often manifests itself in the form of abdominal discomfort, flatulence, abdominal pain of varying intensity and frequency, bowel disorders in the form of diarrhea and constipation, often with mucus secretion. These disorders mostly occur in fits and starts and are associated with the patient's emotional state.
IBS is often accompanied by gastroesophageal reflux disease, chronic fatigue syndrome , fibromyalgia , headache , back pain.
Studies show that a significant number of patients with IBS have such personality traits as anxious distrust, punctuality, pedantry, moralism, difficulty verbalizing one's emotions (alexithymia), a tendency to obsessive reactions, and dependence on the opinions of significant others. The onset of discomfort in the gastrointestinal tract in childhood as a reaction to dysfunctional relationships with parents is often noted.
Acute or chronic stress, like many others chronic pain syndromes , is usually the trigger for this disease and the cause of its relapses. Panic disorder, anxiety and Depression occurs in 50-60% of patients, with anxiety manifesting itself already in the initial stages of the disease, and depression joining after some time. Therefore, timely and qualified assessment of the mental state in this disease is the basis for the success of patient treatment.
Scientists note the closest relationship of the "brain-gut" axis and the need for targeted therapeutic influence on both the somatic and psycho-emotional links of IBS. At the same time, the use of only gut-oriented drugs can lead to only temporary improvement in the condition and contributes to the chronicity of the disease. Therefore, modern treatment of IBS includes psychotherapy, nutritional recommendations, prescription of drugs and the use of various additional methods, which will be discussed below.
The danger of ineffective treatment of IBS lies in its development into nonspecific ulcerative colitis (NUC) - a pathological condition of the intestine, the basis of which is a chronic inflammatory process. If IBS is accompanied only by functional changes, then with ulcerative colitis an organic defect of the intestinal mucosa is formed, which is much more serious. Increased frequency of bowel movements up to 20-40 times, an admixture of mucus and blood in the stool, tenesmus (cutting pains with useless urges to defecate), deterioration of the general condition - the main signs of nonspecific colitis with ulcerative lesions of the intestinal wall.
In our experience, a combination of psychotherapy with transcranial electrical stimulation (TES) is effective for both diseases, which helps normalize overexcited parts of the brain related to the intestines.
A promising method for treating inflammation and pain associated with IBS and NUC is ketamine infusion treatment . It has been shown that visceral (GI) pain is associated with NMDA receptors, which are effectively affected by ketamine. It has also been found that this drug is able to reduce visceral hypersensitivity. Therefore, in irritable bowel syndrome and NUC, it is advisable to use ketamine therapy in conjunction with psychotherapy and TEC.
By combining psychotherapy with ketamine infusions, transcranial electrical stimulation (TEC) , brain rehabilitation “Neurohelp” , With body-oriented therapy and art therapy, it is possible to achieve significant improvements in the health of patients.
