Systematic review of interventions for depression and anxiety in persons with inflammatory bowel disease

Abstract
Background Depression and anxiety are common in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and can affect disease outcomes, including quality of life and success of disease treatment. Successful management of psychiatric comorbidities may improve outcomes, though the effectiveness of existing treatments in IBD is unknown. Methods We searched multiple online databases from inception until March 25, 2015, without restrictions on language, date, or location of publication. We included controlled clinical trials conducted in persons with IBD and depression or anxiety. Two independent reviewers reviewed all abstracts and full-text articles and extracted information including trial and participant characteristics. We also assessed the risk of bias. Results Of 768 unique abstracts, we included one trial of pharmacological anxiety treatment in IBD (48 participants), which found an improvement in anxiety symptoms (p < 0.001). There was a high risk of bias in this trial. We found no controlled clinical trials on the treatment of depression in persons with IBD and depression and no controlled clinical trials reporting on psychological interventions for anxiety or depression in IBD. Conclusions Only one trial examined an intervention for anxiety in adults with IBD and no trials studied depression in adults with IBD. The level of evidence is low because of the risk of bias and limited evidence.
Description
Don Paty Career Development Award from the MS Society of Canada
Bingham Chair in Gastroenterology
Manitoba Research Chair from Research Manitoba
Keywords
Depression, Anxiety, Systematic review, Inflammatory bowel disease
Citation
Fiest, K. M., Bernstein, C. N., Walker, J. R., Graff, L. A., Hitchon, C. A., … Marrie, R. A. (2016). Systematic review of interventions for depression and anxiety in persons with inflammatory bowel disease. BMC Research Notes, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13104-016-2204-2