Taboos & Stigmas

We are the national charity for people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Our life, therefore is talking about constipation, pain in the bowel, an urgent need to go to the toilet at very short notice, diarrhoea, rectal mucus, stool formation (ranging from liquid or 'mushy' to stools like rabbit pellets - have a look at the Bristol Stool Scale one day), bloating and rumbling in the gut - all those things, in fact, which society finds unacceptable to talk about.

In many respects, the bowel and its functions are the last taboo - especially when it does not work properly. In an age when we can talk freely about most things, the act of going to the toilet is not 'polite'.

So our members suffer the stigma of having an illness which they cannot talk about, and live under a taboo of having an illness which is socially unacceptable. Explaining precisely what Irritable Bowel Syndrome is, and what it does, gets reactions ranging from disgust to indifference (except, of course, as always happens, when somebody sidles up to you afterwards and in a low voice asks for some advice and help).

The unwillingness of people to talk clearly and openly about their illness means they do not get proper care (20% of people with incontinence will not mention it even to their doctor unless prompted). It means they cannot get the care and support of their family and friends. It means that people without Irritable Bowel Syndrome think 'it's all in the mind', and that the illness could be overcome by 'pulling your socks up'.

It is a part of The Gut Trust's role to challenge the Taboos & Stigmas around the illness. You will not find us being patronising, diminishing the impact of Irritable Bowel Syndrome on the social and professional lives of those people who have it, or of underestimating the enormous psychological impact it has (34% of people with chronic Irritable Bowel Syndrome have contemplated suicide because of the impact the condition has on their lives). We are here to talk openly about those subjects the rest of the world would rather not talk about - because it is only by bringing those issues into public debate that we can really change the lives of people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome.