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Mental Health (Expert Forum)
Nervous Stools
Answered by
Roger Gould, M.D. - Mental Health, Wellness
Questions posted in the Mental Health forum are being answered by Dr. Roger L. Gould, author of the Mastering Stress and Depression program and affiliated with the UCLA. Department of Psychiatry. Topics covered include anger, attention deficit disorder (ADD) , bipolar disorder , dementia , electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) , learning disabilities, memory, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) , panic , personality disorders, phobias , post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) , schizophrenia , stress , transitions, and work problems.
Nervous Stools
by alwaysnervous, Jun 30, 2001 12:00AM
Can anxiety cause a change in stools. I have been experiencing more than my normal anxiety for the last 2 months. Since then my stools have changed. They are softer, smell worse and float. I always feel nervous when I wake up in the morning and then I have to immediately have a bowel movement. Is this cause for concern or do you think it's my anxiety. I am a 30 year old female. I always think something terribly wrong is going on inside of me.
Doctor's Answer
by Roger Gould, M.D., Jul 02, 2001 12:00AM
, Jul 02, 2001 12:00AM
Anxiety can definitely cause this kind of bowel reaction.
Anxiety can definitely cause a change in bowel habits. Diarrhoea can easily be caused by stress. Many people have this experience. Other symptoms stress can be nausea, hunger (even after eating), or loss of appetite. Stress can even contribute to things like heartburn (gastritis, gerd, ulcers). I am 30 and also have this experience. Stress is definitely a contributor. So please don't worry about your symptoms but instead focus on finding ways to handle the stresses in your life and taking some sort of control over them - also focus on healthy diet and make sure you get regular exercise as this is also a great help in stress management.