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.
- 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)
- Self-Management: Taking Charge of Your Health (American Academy of Family Physicians) Available in Spanish
- 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
- 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)
Journal ArticlesReferences and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Patterns of Chronic Conditions and Their Associations With Behaviors and...
- Article: Alcohol and Marijuana Use and Treatment Nonadherence Among Medically Vulnerable...
- Article: Explaining the quality of life of organ transplant patients by...
- Coping with Chronic Illness -- see more articles
- Living with Multiple Health Problems: What Older Adults Should Know (AGS Foundation for Health in Aging)