Link Between Inflammatory Bowel Disease & Depression Is Bidirectional

People with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are nine times more likely to develop depression than the general population, and their non-IBD family members are twice as likely to develop depression. People with depression are twice as likely to develop IBD, and their non-depressed family members were 1.5 times more likely to develop IBD.

In a study to examine the relationship between depression and IBD, researchers monitored the incidence of depression among 422 people with IBD, 537 of their unaffected siblings, and 2,148 controls. The researchers conducted regular follow-ups with each group. About 2.5% (54 . . .