IBD and the Gut-Brain Connection

As a health scientist and 'expert patient' who has spent more than 20 years researching IBD and whose work has changed the way IBD is managed in clinics worldwide, Dr Mikocka-Walnus is ideally placed to bring all the latest research findings and clinical experience together in a truly up-to-date, evidence-based guide for people with an IBD diagnosis and their families, friends and carers. As well as general considerations including what science tells us the condition is and how it is currently treated, she addresses issues in relation to age (there is an epidemic now among children and teenagers) and circumstances (sexuality and fertility). Most importantly she looks at the gut-brain connection and with it, mental health in IBD, the two-way relationship with stress, and the pros and cons of psychotherapy, hypnotherapy and antidepressants.

Auteur

Antonina Mikocka-Walus is Senior Lecturer in Health Psychology at Deakin University, Australia; Visiting Associate Professor in Psychology at the University of Adelaide, Australia; and Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the University of York, York, UK. She completed her doctoral studies in medicine at the University of Adelaide and has since worked in several Australian and British universities. The main theme of her research has been the psychology of IBD. She has contributed to the international guidelines on IBD care. Her research has led to changes in how IBD services operate, with her recommendations for the use of an integrated model of care now being implemented in several clinics worldwide, including Australia, Europe and South America. She has published widely, with over 90 research papers, book chapters and books, and has received multiple research grants to fund her studies in IBD.