Is Your Ulcerative Colitis-Related Stress Under Control?

Everyone faces stress from time to time, but people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may have more than their fair share.

On top of the typical life stressors, people with IBDs like ulcerative colitis must deal with debilitating symptoms and navigate a lot of uncertainty and unpredictability around flares, treatments, and related illnesses. “This impacts many aspects of life,” says Christina Gentile, PsyD, a board-certified clinical health psychologist who specializes in digestive diseases at UCLA Health.

That’s one reason that people with IBD are also at greater risk for anxiety and depression. And that, in turn, can make it harder for them to manage their condition and physically cope with the disease by, say, exercising, eating a healthy diet, or meditating.

“It’s this really complicated issue where IBD symptoms are causing stress and making it harder for you to do the things that are also protective against stress,” says Stephen Lupe, PsyD, the director of behavioral medicine in the department of gastroenterology, hepatology, and nutrition at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.

In other words, anxiety and stress can trigger — or aggravate — inflammation and colitis, and vice versa, says Berkeley Limketkai, MD, a gastroenterologist and the director of IBD clinical research at the UCLA Center for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.

In short, if you’re feeling stressed by ulcerative colitis, you’re certainly not alone. But it’s important to understand how much stress and feelings of depression or anxiety may be affecting your daily life. Answer the following questions to help you determine whether your coping skills are working or if you need help rethinking your stress-management strategy.

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Additional Sources

Hu S et al. Depression and Anxiety Disorders in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Frontiers in Psychiatry. October 8, 2021.
Qualter P et al. Depression, Anxiety, and Loneliness Among Adolescents and Young Adults With IBD in the UK: The Role of Disease Severity, Age of Onset, and Embarrassment of the Condition. Quality of Life Research. September 30, 2020.
Gerbarg PL et al. The Effect of Breathing, Movement, and Meditation on Psychological and Physical Symptoms and Inflammatory Biomarkers in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. December 1, 2015.
Stress and IBD: Breaking the Vicious Cycle. Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. August 7, 2024.
Depression and Anxiety. Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation.
Yin T et al. Risk of Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Predictive Value of Disease Phenotype, Disease Activity, and Food Literacy. Journal of Eating Disorders. November 28, 2023.
Yelencich E et al. Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder Prevalent Among Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. June 20, 2022.
What Should I Eat? Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation.

Yuying Luo, MD

Medical Reviewer

Yuying Luo, MD, is an assistant professor of medicine at Mount Sinai West and Morningside in New York City. She aims to deliver evidence-based, patient-centered, and holistic care for her patients.

Her clinical and research focus includes patients with disorders of gut-brain interaction such as irritable bowel syndrome and functional dyspepsia; patients with lower gastrointestinal motility (constipation) disorders and defecatory and anorectal disorders (such as dyssynergic defecation); and women’s gastrointestinal health.

She graduated from Harvard with a bachelor's degree in molecular and cellular biology and received her MD from the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. She completed her residency in internal medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where she was also chief resident. She completed her gastroenterology fellowship at Mount Sinai Hospital and was also chief fellow.

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Jen Laskey

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Jen Laskey is a writer, editor, and content strategist. She has worked on EverydayHealth.com in various capacities since its inception, and her writing has appeared in many major publications, including SAVEUR magazine, EatingWell magazine, NBC, TODAY, and Fodor's Travel guides. She has also served as the senior editorial director of Twill Health, leading editorial strategy and daily operations for Twill's health and mental health apps.

In addition to writing about health, mental health, and wellness, Laskey writes regularly about food, wine/spirits, travel, and the arts. She is the author of Jen’s Candy Jar: Artisanal Candy Recipes for Special Occasions and is the founding executive editor of the multi-award-winning wine & spirits online trade magazine SevenFifty Daily.

She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in writing from Bennington College and Columbia University.

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