I guess melancholy is not really a word that is in vogue nowadays.  Doctors and psychologists would prefer that I used the verbiage depressed or having 'the blues' but to me there is something more feminine, less long-term sounding when you use the word melancholy to describe the gut tingling, constant tears in the back of your eyes, knot in your throat jumble of emotions that can overcome one living with chronic pain.  Although my IC is in remission I still am prone to IC flareups in the form of vaginal pain and pressure which still flare during moments of stress or sadness or if I veer ever so slightly away from my steady diet of wholesome foods (ever free from yeast, sugar, preservatives, etc.).  Life's big and little surprises, sadnesses and emergencies can quickly flood my mind with emotions and my bladder and vagina with stress hormones which cause IC pain.  Stress and pain seem to feed off one another in one of those symbiotic relationships that you would do anything to break up permanently (is there a way to divorce yourself from your feelings?).

There is no way to guard oneself from painful events that happen in life but there are some ways to protect oneself from the headlong dive into melancholy.  I find that I have to take daily doses of Vitamin D even though where I live I am fortunate enough that we have over 300 days of sunshine a year.  Unfortunately I think that Seasonal Affective Disorder runs in my family so when the months draw closer to fall and winter I can feel my mood also growing colder.  Vitamin D has many, many health benefits, especially for people with chronic conditions such as IC.  Along with daily doses of Vitamin D, I take a vegan capsule of Vitamin B complex in order to prevent melancholy from taking hold.  I will also be forever grateful to my support group of family and friends as well as to my animal companions who bring me daily joy and unconditional love.  Check with your doctor about the dosage of Vitamin B and D that would suit your IC.  You do not need a doctor's confirmation that support of friends and family can be very beneficial to your IC!  And as far as animal companions go I will always be a huge advocate of adopting an animal from your local shelter.  Your feelings of melancholy will drift away as your new furry friend snuggles in your arms.