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Self-schema in irritable bowel syndrome and depression
B B Toner1, P E Garfinkel, K N Jeejeebhoy
1Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Psychosomatic Medicine
|March 1, 1990
Summary
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients with major depression (MD) show distinct self-perception differences. Unlike depressed patients, IBS patients with MD do not view themselves as depressed, indicating unique cognitive frameworks.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Gastroenterology
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is sometimes considered a physiological manifestation of affective disorders.
- Self-schema, a cognitive framework influencing information processing, is crucial for understanding mental health conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate differences in self-schema between patients with IBS and those with major depression (MD).
- To explore the cognitive distinctions in self-perception between these patient groups.
Main Methods:
- A comparative study involving 21 IBS patients, 21 MD patients, and 19 healthy controls.
- Utilized the Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and a self-schema adjective recall task.
- All groups were age-matched for robust comparison.
Main Results:
- Major depression (MD) patients recalled more self-referent "depressed" adjectives than controls and IBS patients.
- A significant subgroup of IBS patients with MD recalled more self-referent "nondepressed" words than the MD group.
- This suggests IBS patients with MD perceive themselves as less depressed than their MD counterparts.
Conclusions:
- Self-schema can differentiate between IBS and major depression, even when depressive symptoms overlap.
- IBS patients with comorbid MD exhibit a unique self-perception, not viewing themselves as depressed.
- These findings highlight the importance of cognitive frameworks in understanding the distinct nature of IBS and MD.