Below are the questions and responses from the 439 participants who participated in the Depression and Ulcerative Colitis Survey that took place the second week of February 2013. (All participants are part of the site’s free newsletter and were emailed a notification for the survey when the survey began)
Question 1:
Since you (or your spouse/kids/relative) have been diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis, how common is depression?
- Once a week I feel depressed, but it goes away quickly – 46%/204 people
- Depressed almost every day since being diagnosed with UC – 21%/94 people
- Almost never do I feel depressed – 18%/80 people
- Everyday there is depression – 13%/56 people
- Never 1%/5 people
Question 2:
What is the most common feeling when you are depressed?
- worried – 18%/78 people
- hopeless – 16%/70 people
- helpless – 14%/60 people
- anxious – 14%/60 people
- sad – 10%/45 people
- irritable – 10%/42 people
- empty – 6%/25 people
- worthless – 6%/25 people
- restless – 3%/12 people
- guilty – 2%/8 people
- hurt – 1%/4 people
- None of the above – 2%/10 people
Question 3:
Do you tell other people when you are feeling depressed?
- Sometimes – 46%/203 people
- Almost never – 31%/136 people
- Never – 19%/85 people
- Always – 3%/15 people
Question 4:
Do you feel ulcerative colitis plays a part in your depression?
- Yes – 68%/297 people
- Sometimes – 22%/98 people
- Not Sure – 6%/27 people
- No – 4%/17 people
Question 5:
When you are in remission or close to remission with UC, does this affect your depression?
- Yes, my depression is less – 72%/316 people
- None of these answers fits me – 17%/76 people
- No, my depression does not change – 8%/37 people
- Yes, my depression is more – 2%/10 people
Question 6:
How serious is your depression?
- I have no idea, I just deal with it – 36%/156 people
- Very mild – 29%/128 people
- I receive medical treatment from a doctor for my depression – 18%/81 people
- I should probably seek help for my depression – 7%/31 people
- None of these answers fits me – 7%/29 people
- Very serious, maybe worse than my UC – 2%/9 people
- It’s serious, but it doesn’t bother me – 1%/5 people
If you Feel like watching a video with the same results as listed above, feel free to do so below. There is also a link below to all 205 personalized responses that many people wrote to the final question #7.
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Thank you again to everyone (all 439 of you from 31 different countries) who participated this month. This is by far the largest survey ever in the history of iHaveUC, and I hope that reading the responses from others will make many of you feel more comfortable no matter how your UC makes you feel.
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The 205 answers to the question below can be read on this page: https://www.ihaveuc.com/205-colitis-depression-responses/
If you have any thoughts about depression, how depression affects you, how UC correlates with depression, or anything else on the topic, feel free to share your thoughts?
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Thank you again to everyone who participated,
Adam Scheuer
(And, if anybody likes the song used in the video, its by the Buena Vista Social Club and its called Chan Chan and you can download it on Amazon.com click-here!)
I started site shortly after being diagnosed in October of 2008 with severe pancolitis (when my whole colon was inflamed).
For me, it was a very rough start with severe symptoms. Getting bounced from medication to medication was not easy or too helpful. But, I did meet another UC’er, changes several parts of my diet, and of course the rest is history.
Leave a comment, ask a question, take advantage of our past experiences here, use the search boxes, they are your friends to0:)
I’ve written 2 different ulcerative colitis ebooks, you can check them out here.
And, the Free eNewsletter, which has important updates can be joined here.