Coping with Chronic Illness

MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA  

• Living with a chronic illness - dealing with feelings
• Living with a chronic illness - reaching out to others

Related Health Topics

• Cancer--Living with Cancer
• Chronic Pain
• Living with HIV/AIDS

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Summary

Having a long-term, or chronic, illness can disrupt your life in many ways. You may often be tired and in pain. Your illness might affect your appearance or your physical abilities and independence. You may not be able to work, causing financial problems. For children, chronic illnesses can be frightening, because they may not understand why this is happening to them.

These changes can cause stress, anxiety and anger. If they do, it is important to seek help. A trained counselor can help you develop strategies to regain a feeling of control. Support groups might help, too. You will find that you are not alone, and you may learn some new tips on how to cope.

Start Here

•  Chronic Illness & Mental Health  (National Institute of Mental Health)
• Coping with a Diagnosis of Chronic Illness (American Psychological Association)Available in Spanish
• Next Steps After Your Diagnosis: Finding Information and Support (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)Available in Spanish
• Self-Management: Taking Charge of Your Health (American Academy of Family Physicians)Available in Spanish

Related Issues

• Anemia of Inflammation and Chronic Disease  (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
• How to Help a Friend or Loved One Suffering from a Chronic Illness (American Psychological Association)Available in Spanish
• Managing Care for Adults with Long-Term Medical Illness (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)Available in Spanish
• Psychologists' Role in Treating Chronically Ill Persons (American Psychological Association)
• Request a Brown-Bag Check-Up (Institute for Safe Medication Practices)

Statistics and Research

• Chronic Diseases and Health Promotion (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Chronic Disease  (National Institutes of Health)

Journal ArticlesReferences and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: IMPACT OF COMORBIDITY AND SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS ON QUALITY OF LIFE...
• Article: Poor Self-Rated Health Influences Hospital Service Use in Hospitalized Inpatients...
• Article: LOST IN TRANSLATION: TRANSITION OF CARE AND POPULATION HEALTH.
• Coping with Chronic Illness -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• American Chronic Pain Association 
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Available in Spanish

Finance and Policy

• Financial Management during Crisis (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation)Available in Spanish

Children

• Caring for a Seriously Ill Child (Nemours Foundation)Available in Spanish
• Coping with Chronic Illness (American Academy of Pediatrics)

Teenagers

• Caring for Kids With Medical Conditions (Nemours Foundation)Available in Spanish
• Dealing with a Health Condition (Nemours Foundation)Available in Spanish

Seniors

• Living with Multiple Health Problems: What Older Adults Should Know (AGS Foundation for Health in Aging)

Patient Handouts

• Living with a chronic illness - dealing with feelings Available in Spanish
• Living with a chronic illness - reaching out to others Available in Spanish

New on the MedlinePlus Coping with Chronic Illness page: Chronic Illness & Mental Health 12/24/2015 09:32 AM EST Source: National Institute of Mental Health -