Ulcerative colitis can have a huge impact on your emotional well-being, causing feelings of isolation or lack of self-esteem. This section looks at the psychological effect of your disease and the importance of getting support by simply talking.²

Don’t keep your ulcerative colitis to yourself

Ulcerative colitis can have major emotional repercussions on the people it affects. The psychological involvement is so great that until the mid-twentieth century, very little was known about ulcerative colitis and it was considered a psychosomatic illness — one that’s caused by a person’s psyche. Nowadays, it is commonly understood that ulcerative colitis is a physical disease. Just as important, however, are the psychological effects of the disease, which should be dealt with.¹

It is still unknown why patients have flare-ups and periods of remission regardless of the medication they are taking. In some cases, psychological or stress factors may be play a role. It appears that psychological factors can strongly impact different chemicals and immune cells that promote intestinal inflammation. Although stressful events are not particularly frequent before the onset of ulcerative colitis (or Crohn’s disease) and do not seem to provoke exacerbations of the conditions, chronic stress may lead to a worsening of bowel symptoms over the long term.¹

Furthermore, given that symptoms often emerge in a young person’s formative years, it is unsurprising that when you are first diagnosed with ulcerative colitis you may experience lack of self-esteem.^1,2

It is therefore extremely important that you get all the psychological and emotional support you need. This may involve talking to family and friends, it may mean seeking professional help or it may be a case of meeting other patients. Ask your doctor what kind of support is available in your area.

Support from patient organizations

You should not feel that you’re living alone with your illness, because you’re not. Make sure you discuss it with people who will be able to help or at least understand what you are going through. There are a number of regional patient organizations whose members either have ulcerative colitis or are related to people with ulcerative colitis. People like you. Here are a few places to start:

The Canadian Society of Intestinal Research (CSIR)

The Canadian Society of Intestinal Research offers support groups specifically for people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). To find out more information, visit www.badgut.com and click on Support Groups.¹²

Mount Sinai Hospital

Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto offers two types of support groups: a Daytime Support Network for people whose lives have been severely affected by inflammatory bowel disease and an Evening Support Network, which offers educational talks and informal discussions.

For schedules, please visit http://www.mountsinai.on.ca/care/ibd/for-patients-ibd-support-network/support-groups/support-network-overview. If you have questions, you can contact Brenda O’Connor at 416-586-4800 ext. 8349.¹³

The Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada

Many local chapters of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada offer public education events featuring respected health professionals and researchers. For more information, visit www.ccfc.ca or call the National Office at 416-920-5035, or toll-free at 1-800-387-1479.¹⁴