Glorancy

Other complications of ulcerative colitis, such as the potential side effects of medication and body-altering surgeries, can also make colitis difficult to live with; stigma and misconceptions about it being a “bathroom disease” can make things even worse.

Stephen Lupe, PsyD, a clinical health psychologist specializing in digestive diseases at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, says that oftentimes people with ulcerative colitis feel like their body has betrayed them.