The Connection Between Chronic Illness and Mental Health
Chronic Illness and Mental Health: The Weight No One Sees
Picture yourself in a doctor’s office, under the hum of fluorescent lights. The diagnosis lands: a chronic illness. Your doctor is kind, calm, and reassuring. But their words hit like a wrecking ball.
What does this mean for my kids? My partner? Our finances? How is this even happening?
Before you’ve had a moment to absorb the shock, the conversation moves on to treatment plans and prescriptions. Your mind is still racing, and no one has asked how you are doing.
For millions of people, this is where the real journey begins, and it’s about far more than the body.
Living with a chronic illness can feel isolating, frustrating, and frightening. It can take away activities you love. It can also change how you see yourself and how you connect with the people around you. The physical symptoms are only part of the story. Chronic illness is also a mental health experience.
Why Mental Health Matters
According to Mental Health America, people living with a chronic condition are more likely to experience depression. Researchers haven’t settled which comes first: whether chronic illness raises the risk of depression, or whether depression raises the risk of developing a chronic condition. Most likely the two feed into each other.
Sometimes the link is biological. Conditions like Parkinson’s disease and stroke can change the brain in ways that directly affect mood. In other cases, the stress and anxiety of managing a health condition can trigger depression symptoms. Depression is especially common among people living with:
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Autoimmune diseases, including lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and psoriasis
- Cancer
- Coronary heart disease
- Diabetes
- Epilepsy
- HIV/AIDS
- Hypothyroidism
- Multiple sclerosis
- Parkinson’s disease
- Stroke
The encouraging news: research shows that treating depression and a chronic illness together helps people manage both more effectively. Caring for the mind is part of caring for the body.
How Common Are Mental Health Struggles?
Mental health challenges are more common than many people realize. Nearly 1 in 5 American adults will have a diagnosable mental health condition in any given year, and 46 percent of Americans will meet the criteria for a diagnosable mental health condition sometime in their life.
It can be hard to separate depression from the ordinary stress of illness. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) lists these common symptoms:
- Feeling sad, irritable, or anxious
- Feeling empty, hopeless, guilty, or worthless
- Losing interest in hobbies or activities you once enjoyed
- Fatigue, low energy, or feeling listless
- Trouble concentrating, remembering details, or making decisions
- Sleeping too little or too much
- Eating much more or much less than usual
- Thoughts of death, suicide, or suicide attempts
- Unexplained or persistent aches, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems
If several of these sound familiar, it’s worth talking with a healthcare provider. And if you are having thoughts of suicide, please reach out right away by calling or texting 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
Support Is Within Reach
When someone receives a diagnosis, that condition often becomes the main focus of their care, the lens through which everyone sees them. But people are more than their diagnoses. Effective care looks at the connections between physical conditions and mental health, and coordinates treatment for all of them. The good news is that mental health conditions are very treatable.
At Accessia Health, we know that chronic medical conditions affect mental health and well-being. That’s why we offer flexible funding through Your Assistance, Your Choice. Under this model, eligible individuals can put their financial assistance towards mental health counseling and treatment.
Take a moment to see if you or a loved one is eligible to apply for assistance under our active patient programs. You don’t have to carry this alone. Support for your mind is part of support for your health.
