Many of us take our physical health for granted until we are forced to do otherwise. For the six out of every ten adults in the US who live with a chronic illness, however, the fantasy of living in perfect health is one that’s hard to reach. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), chronic illness is defined as “conditions that last 1 year or more and require ongoing medical attention or limit activities of daily living or both.”

Keep in mind: you cannot measure someone’s physical or mental health by looking at them. It’s also important to note that just no one owes anyone a certain level of health - people with chronic illness are just as much people as anyone else, and they deserve dignity and respect.  

The idea of living in perfect physical and mental health throughout your entire life is not realistic. At some point, you will probably have to deal with some sort of serious illness or condition, either for yourself or for someone you care about. Just because you don’t have to worry about chronic illness right now doesn’t mean that will always be the case. 

Physical health and mental health are linked

There is a connection between your physical health and your mental state. You might have experienced swings in mood or energy when you’re not feeling well, and that can be exponentially more intense in the case of chronic illness. In fact, people with chronic illnesses are two times more likely to experience anxiety and depression than people who don’t have a chronic illness. 

Living with a chronic illness is the reality for many folks in the United States (and all over the world, too). The way that physical health can take a toll on mental health is well documented. Looking at the whole picture, physical and mental, can help folks find better treatment options that will support them in all aspects of life. Here are 5 ways that chronic illness can affect mental health: 

Brain Chemicals

The chemicals in your brain play a large role in mental health, and some physical conditions can impact those chemicals. Changing levels of hormones and neurotransmitters in your system can lead to mental health side effects (like anxiety, depression, etc.). Inflammation in the brain may also play a role in mental health. In fact, it has even been suggested that depression is associated with inflammation in the brain, so increased inflammation in the body due to physical illness may directly play a role in depression.  

Chronic illness can be traumatic

Chronic illness can also lead to PTSD. Living in a body that is chronically ill can be incredibly stressful and scary. Trauma can come in many different forms, and chronic illness is one. In fact, there is a specific type of PTSD called Illness Induced Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, though it isn’t well understood by medical professionals. There does seem to be a distinction between this type of PTSD and traditional PTSD - chronic illnesses can last for an undetermined amount of time, which can prolong the trauma. 

Stress

Experiencing long term illness can lead to a major increase in stress - stress about your condition, about finances, about accessibility, about insurance, about anything, really. This extra stress can lead to mental health problems. Long term stress has long been known to be detrimental to mental health. That’s why self-care is so important right now - people are finally realizing that the best way to care for others is to care for yourself first.  Because chronic conditions by definition last a long time, folks who live with them often end up living with a lot of stress and uncertainty. 

Medications 

The medications folks take to manage their chronic conditions may also play a role in mental health. Medications can have complex side effects and interactions with each other, and sometimes that leads to a change in mental health. Depending on the condition, you may be able to try different medications to manage things to see if that makes a difference. It’s important for anyone involved in the care of chronically ill folks are aware of the way medication can influence mental health. 

Shame + Hopelessness

Shame is an aspect of chronic illness that many people don’t talk about (especially people who don’t live with a chronic condition). In the United States, there is a very high value placed on physical health. Because of this, anyone who falls short of perfect physical health is seen as failing (even though this couldn’t be further from the truth!). Some people will blame themselves for their condition, or be too embarrassed to talk about it with anyone but their medical team. Some people feel like they have to prove that they’re ‘sick enough’ to be considered chronically ill. This kind of ableism can be draining, especially over a long period of time.  

Suffering from a chronic condition without improvement can lead to feeling hopeless. You might feel that you’ll never be your old self again, or that you’ll never have another good day. You may need to grieve for the life you had before your diagnosis. Chronic illness can majorly change up your plans in life, and it’s perfectly normal to have a lot of complicated feelings about that. 

The majority of people in the United States will experience chronic illness at some point in their lives. Since chronic illness is so common, it’s important to understand the ways that physical illness and mental illness intersect and influence one another. Treating the whole person is an important way to improve a person’s quality of life overall. It’s critical to take into account mental health when discussing physical health and vice versa. If you are living with a chronic illness and you’re looking for support, we can help. 

therapist in falls church, mclean, tysons corner, merrifield, arlington and vienna, va

Hope+Wellness is a psychotherapy practice serving the Falls Church, McLean, Great Falls, Vienna, Arlington, Alexandria, and the greater Washington DC region. We provide individual therapy to children, teens, and adults with stress, anxiety, and depression. Our practice is in-network with BCBS and provides Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), mindfulness and acceptance based therapies, and other top, premier evidence-based treatments. Call, email, or schedule an appointment with us online today. We’re happy to help!