1st Edition
Coping with Crohn’s and Colitis A Patient and Clinician’s Guide to CBT for IBD
This practical guide provides patients who have inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) with cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) strategies for coping with IBD. It teaches a number of skills that can make coping with Crohn’s or colitis easier.
Chapters provide an overview of Crohn’s and colitis as well as the interplay between stress and the gut, before offering strategies on relaxation training, physical activity, managing stress and avoidance, diet and nutrition, and medical treatment options. The book also emphasizes the importance of the doctor-patient relationship and helps patients learn how to think about medical management (including the possibility of surgery) to minimize anxiety from catastrophic thoughts and balance potential risks and benefits appropriately. Dr. Hunt challenges readers to engage in specific behavioral experiments to reduce shame and stigma and highlights practical applications with case illustrations and clinical vignettes.
This book can be used as a standalone self-help book or in conjunction with practitioners during in-person therapy.
Introduction: How to Use this Book 1. Understanding Crohn’s and Colitis 2. Stress and the Gut 3. Turn it Off or Burn it Off – Relaxation Training and Physical Activity 4. The Cognitive Model of Stress Management 5. Applying the Cognitive Model to GI Symptoms 6. Test It Out! Behavioral Experiments 7. Eliminating Avoidance 8. Diet, Nutrition and Healthy Choices 9. Managing Anxiety about Drugs and Surgery 10. What if I Need an Ostomy!? 11. Summary and Review
Biography
Melissa G. Hunt is a psychologist, therapist and clinical scientist who specializes in helping folks with chronic GI disorders reclaim their lives.
"Dr. Hunt’s book on coping with IBD is timely. The emotional health of patients with Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis is often neglected, but so critical to living well with IBD. This book can empower patients to take control of how they think, feel and behave around their symptoms and the settings in which they occur."
Laurie Keefer, PhD, GI Psychologist and Professor of Medicine and Psychiatry,Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City
"Dr. Hunt has done a masterful job in authoring this treatment guide. It provides a toolbox for patients and caregivers alike to be able to understand and address challenges in daily living that may arise in individuals plagued with inflammatory bowel disease, leading to substantially improved quality of life."
Gary R. Lichtenstein, MD, FACG, FACP, AGAF; Professor of Medicine, Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania; Director, Center for Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, University of Pennsylvania Health System.
