How Chronic Illness Affects Your Child’s Mental Health

Being diagnosed with a chronic illness can oftentimes be a lengthy, uphill battle. Despite all the tests, research, and daily struggle, chronic illnesses often cannot be cured. Instead, they are managed over the course of a lifetime. Side effects of a chronic illness are not uncommon or unexpected. Such symptoms could include recurring pain, fatigue, and breathing complications. It can even go as far as causing functional limitations with your daily activities, making once simple tasks significantly more complicated. Most medical professionals will be quick to observe and treat these physical limitations.

Given that a chronic illness could result in a life-changing pivot, there can also be a psychological component that may go unnoticed or undiagnosed. Those with a chronic diagnosis are two times more likely to develop a mental health disorder. With some specific conditions, that number can be even higher.

The Science of It

Just as developing the medical condition itself is primarily determined by genetics, some aspects of mental health struggles are unavoidable due to the science behind it. Certain illnesses can impact bodily functioning, especially relating to hormones and neurotransmitters in the body. Think of major control centers of the body.

If these things become unbalanced or abnormally leveled, it could result in significant mental health changes. Certain hormones control your emotions and ability to regulate within your environment. Neurotransmitters can control brain functioning and aid in managing your moods and stress responses. 

Social Issues

Having an illness can put a damper on normal routines and affect how you participate in daily tasks, occupations, and leisure activities/hobbies. There may be periods when you have to miss school or work. Sometimes this may be longer term and result in homeschooling or working from home.

It may reduce your ability to participate in extra-curricular activities due to their physical nature. You may find yourself more isolated from your peers due to physical limitations. These factors alone can influence behavior, stress, anxiety, and depression.

Indirect Impact

It isn’t uncommon to pick up on the moods and energy of those closest to us. Depending on the severity of the medical diagnosis, those around you could face their own set of challenges in accepting it. If they are having a difficult time with acceptance, that could set a negative tone for you without realizing it.

Maybe your loved ones are coping with avoidance or limiting communication. That could create feelings of nervousness or anxiety for you. When they are overly emotional or sad, you may feel stress and anxiety in wanting to ease their burden. If they are over-protective or overbearing, you may find yourself feeling tense and faced with unhealthy boundaries.

Positive Outlook

In some instances, having a chronic illness can positively affect your mental health. Being faced with an illness can bring family members closer together, thus creating a more open and tight-knit relationship. Having that newfound connection with family or friends can create a safe and supportive environment.

No one wants to be ill, but sometimes there may be a lesson in your resiliency and inner strength. You may find a personal strength that you didn’t know existed previously. You may even find a higher sense of purpose, a new calling, or an outlet to help others. Finding these silver linings can be a good outcome mentally.

While a chronic illness may not be resolved easily and comes with a large degree of medical focus, there is a significant relationship with mental health. You don’t need to suffer through an added element making the quality of life harder. There are ways to turn those struggles into silver linings. Reach out to start the discussion to see how chronic Illness counseling can help you.