Hi,

IBS alone can make you feel pretty grim so if you have depression alongside this I can understand why you are feeling the way you do. In some ways the conditions feed off one another, so you can go in a kind of vicious circle. The good news is that if you focus on the IBS you may find some benefits with your depression.

It sounds like you are very aware of the fact that things like coffee, spices, alcohol etc irritate the bowel but it also sounds like when your mood is low you turn to some of these. I think this really isn't helping and while it will take a real effort on your part to try and stay away from these products I'm sure you will start to feel some benefit.

I would also recommend that you build in a little daily exercise. This is good for you both physically and psychologically. Again, you may have to dig deep to get started but the alternative is that things stay the way they are - which is what you don't want.

Loneliness can be a terrible burden to shoulder and your mood state is most certainly affected by this. People won't just come to you however, so you need to find ways to meet others. I'm not sure of your age but it is surprising how you can meet people just by being in places where they are. A shared activity can be useful in this regard as it gives strangers something to focus on when they cross paths.

So, whether you go on antidepressants is something for you and your doctor to decide. My own view is that your lifestyle sounds a little stagnant and if this is the case only you can start to turn things around a little at a time. If you choose to, I believe you will find that you feel better perhaps a little more quickly than you even expected. Life is never perfect but we all have it in our gift to makes things a bit better for ourselves.

Good luck