Correction to "Depression and Anxiety of Portuguese University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study about Prevalence and Associated Factors".

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract comprising Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, which affects more than 5 million persons globally. Currently, the prevalence of IBD in Canada is approximately 0.8% and is forecasted to rise to 1% by 2035. In addition to debilitating physical manifestations such as abdominal pain, bloody diarrhea, and fecal urgency, individuals with IBD are at significantly increased risk of mental health disorders, such as depression, even after achieving objectively defined remission from a bowel perspective. Notably, depression may occur either before or after the onset of IBD. This susceptibility to depression is partly due to the chronic, episodic nature of IBD that often demands major shifts in coping strategies and mindset, as research has shown that those who struggle to adjust to their new diagnosis of IBD were more likely to be depressed. Furthermore, research has established the relationship between depression and IBD to be bidirectional, whereby depression is associated with an increased risk of developing IBD, while active disease flares are associated with heightened depressive symptomology. This relationship is also affected by medications used to treat IBD, such as corticosteroids, which can impact an individual’s psychological wellbeing. Studies have found that those taking oral prednisone were more likely to report feeling depressed. Given this compounding relationship, some individuals with IBD face an elevated risk of severe depressive symptomology requiring hospitalization and, in extreme cases, suicidality.