Posted by Christian Hanson on August 23, 2017
IBD is hard and it comes with a lot of baggage: painful symptoms, frequent colonoscopies, and expensive treatments.
Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis (IBD) don’t just affect the physical body though, they affect the mind too. Living with the symptoms of IBD can cause frustration and fear. Remaining silent about these struggles can cause social isolation and feelings of loneliness.
Members of the Patient Advisory Council (PAC) have filmed a new video series - sharing why and how they talk about IBD and encouraging others with IBD to also talk about their disease with friends and family.
Talking about IBD can not only help patients with IBD cope better with their disease, but serves to raise awareness and understanding of what is most often an illness that is invisible to others. Through speaking out about our experiences with IBD, we can free ourselves from the pain of silence, and tear down the social stigmas that surround this illness!
Below we've highlighted three of our new videos, in which our very own PAC members discuss different aspects of their journey with IBD, including why mental health is such an important part of care.
Why is it important to talk about IBD?
How does IBD affect your mental health?
What advice would you give to someone newly diagnosed with IBD?
Watch all the videos on the ImproveCareNow YouTube page, including “Who do you talk to about IBD?”
After you’ve watched the videos, patients with IBD are invited to connect with the PAC and all people wanting to help kids with IBD can learn how to Get Involved with the ImproveCareNow community!
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