Living with a chronic illness - reaching out to others


Description

A chronic illness is a long-term health condition that may not have a cure. Examples of chronic illnesses are:

Living with chronic illness can make you feel very alone. Learn about staying connected with people to help you cope with your illness.

Talk With People Who Have the Same Illness

Sharing with and learning from people who have the same condition and feelings as you can help you cope with your own illness.

Tell Others About Your Chronic Illness

You may find it hard to tell others that you have a chronic illness. You may worry that they will not want to know about it or that they will judge you. You may feel embarrassed about your illness. These are normal feelings. Thinking about telling people can be harder than actually telling them.

People will react in different ways. They may be:

You may look and feel fine most of the time. But at some point, you may feel ill or have less energy. You may not be able to work as hard, or you may need to take breaks for self-care. When this happens, you want people to know about your illness so they understand what is going on.

Tell people about your illness to keep you safe. If you have a medical emergency, you want people to step in and help. For example:

Let People Help You

There may be people in your life who want to help you take care of yourself. Let your loved ones and friends know how they can help you. Sometimes all you need is someone to talk to.

You may not always want people's help. You might not want their advice. Tell them as much as you feel comfortable sharing. Ask them to respect your privacy if you don't want to talk about it.

If you attend a support group, you may want to take family members, friends or others along. This can help them learn more about your illness and how to support you.

If you are involved in an online discussion group, you might want to show family or friends some of the postings to help them learn more.

If you live alone and do not know where to find support:

Get Help With Your Daily Tasks

You may need help with your self-care tasks, getting to appointments, shopping, or household chores. Keep a list of people who you can ask for help. Learn to be comfortable accepting help when it is offered. Many people are happy to help and are glad to be asked.

If you do not know someone who can help you, ask your provider or social worker about different services that may be available in your area. You may be able to get meals delivered to your home, help from a home health aide, or other services.

References

Ahmed SM, Hershberger PJ, Lemkau JP. Psychosocial influences on health. In: Rakel RE, Rakel DP, eds. Textbook of Family Medicine. 9th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2016:chap 3.

American Psychological Association website. Coping with a diagnosis of chronic illness. www.apa.org/topics/chronic-illness/coping-diagnosis. Updated 2013. Accessed November 30, 2022.

Ralston JD, Wagner EH. Comprehensive chronic disease management. In: Goldman L, Schafer AI, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 26th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 11.


Review Date: 8/15/2022
Reviewed By: Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Clinical Professor, Department of Family Medicine, UW Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
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