Coeliac Disease and "mood disorders" - connected?

Digestive health
1

I was diagnosed with BiPolar disorder in 2009 although I am more depressed than manic. I also have been diagnosed as having a Borderline Personality Disorder.

All my life I have suffered with my tummy: bad wind, abdominal cramps and diahorrea being the most notable symptoms. My dad has Crohn's disease so I always just assumed that bad guts ran in the family. In August my gut problems worsened and I began to lose weight (I am overweight so this weight loss was kind of welcomed haha). I went to the Dr who tested my blood which presented with the antibodies associated with Coeliac Disease and a subsequent biopsy confirmed the diagnosis, indicating nasty damage to the villi.

I'm now waiting to see my dietician but have been reading around the condition myself and I wonder now whether I could have been sort of misdiagnosed on the whole depression front? Well, not misdiagnosed, but could the Coeliac Disease have exacerbated my conditions? I am waiting to see my psychiatrist to discuss this with him, but would appreciate anyone with experience in this field getting in touch?

Thanks!

Rach

2

See your GP and ask to be tested for the antibodies that point to celiac. There is no way to know until you know smile

3

I think that as gut health affects our general sense of wellbeing then there is probably a link between mood and digestive diseases. Vitamin deficiencies associated with not properly absorbing nutrients from food can definitely contribute to a depressed mood.  However, with something as complex as bipolar disorder (if you were diagnosed accurately) or BPD, I'd be doubtful as to whether they could just be explained with the presence of a physical illness. In other words, there is a physical dimension to a mental illness, and vice versa, but it's not the whole picture. 

I also have been diagnosed with a chronic mental illness and feel my physical health influences it and the way I cope with it. I don't think it is the reason why I developed mental illness though, not sure there really is a definitive answer as to how anybody develops a mental illness. 

4

I do reckon there is a link but there needs to be more research done and governments don't give funding for this! I know a lot of people who have mental problems and turn out to be coeliac or have dermatitis herpetiformis or diabetes which is also connected to coeliac disease. What I dont know is, when these people are diagnosed coeliac, do they still need to continue with medication for mental problems..

5

Hi Rachel,

please take heart.  I was diagnosed with BPD some years ago and, like you, my main problem is depression.  I was diagnosed with Coeliac 3 months ago.  Just a few weeks of beginning a gluten free diet my whole world changed.  I can now approach my symptoms of BPD with clarity.  I no longer feel overwhelmed by life but am beginning to deal with the feelings that with BPD seem hopeless to cope with.  It is a wonderful feeling.

My thoughts are that BPD and Coeliac are not connected medically or , but that eating gluten and its effects made my coping with BPD almost impossible.  My general health is so improved, I no longer feel exhausted all the time, my anxiety levels have depleted and in general the world is no longer my enemy.  Life is still hard, but not impossible and I feel so much more able to cope with  all life brings, BPD or not.

I hope that you will feel better too.

 

6

I can't believe I left such an unthinking response "over a year ago". Well, the truth is that that was the time when I just discovered I had gluten intolerance. Yes, it made my already quite bad anxiety completely over the top. And yes, my symptoms of depression were greatly lessened after a few months off of gluten. I felt so much more clear, mentally, and the difference between that first response and this one is a good case in point of how.

I am not "better", no, but I do think my depression of many years may actually be lifting slowly. I am off of the antidepressants for the first time in six years, and yet my life is not a black and horrid nightmare. It's not fantastic, but I also have really a lot on my plate right now, just lost my dog of 15 years and dealing with a messy lawsuit, for just a start. I'm coping much better than I would have imagined I could, though still not "great" or like how I imagine a more normal person would be able to cope.

Sorry to talk about myself so much, here, but yes. In my experience, if you have a mood disorder it will be greatly worsened by gluten intolerance, I expect you could multiply that a few times for celiac because it is much more severe than intolerance.

I also had daily pain towards the end, like very bad muscle and joint pain and daily headaches that were too bad for painkillers to treat. That's all gone, now. So is the heavy fatigue and muscle weakness. Wow, I just remembered I couldn't lift a big ceramic bowl over my head to put it in the top cupboard. Yep, that's gone, too.

So it seems to have an effect on the entire system, over time. For me the effects got slowly worse over the years and then slowly better after I went gluten free, Maybe my depression was even prolonged for a couple years because I became gluten intolerant after I first became depressed. This is all anecdotal, and they need to do some testing and investigation to figure out the links of how and why. But yes, I think you and I are on to something, here. I wouldn't say causal, probably, but I found that it greatly exacerbated my existing problems with anxiety and depression.

7

I have borderline and gluten intolerance. there is 100% a connection between gut problems and mental health. if I have bread, my symptoms return with a vengeance. too much dairy triggers them too. after about a month gluten and dairy free, all anxiety and depression vanish for me. same with borderline symptoms. gut dictates mood. this is why fast food is associated with depression and anxiety.

8

hi rachel, it sounds like you've got enough going on! poor you, i think i would check if the medication you were to see how long it takes to get out of your body. i hope you get an answer.