A chronic illness (e.g. diabetes, arthritis or MS) or permanent disability can also lead to mental disorders in those affected, such as fear of the future, fear of disease progression, bitterness or depression.

How to help someone with a chronic illness or disability

• What can we do to allay fears among chronically ill patients?
• How can we encourage them to take advantage of the opportunities that remain to them?
• And what can we take comfort in, even if recovery is never possible?
• And what does the disease mean for his relatives? How do they deal with finitude and death? Where do they draw strength?

Inform yourself about the disease and its consequences

First and foremost, one must of course know what physical and psychological consequences the disease can have. Only in this way can one assess what is going on in the patient and empathize to some extent with his situation.

Accept the feelings of the person involved

When someone is unexpectedly confronted with a serious illness and lasting negative physical consequences, they usually go through a number of phases.

The phase of shock and denial

After a serious diagnosis, the person concerned may try to behave as if he can resume his old life after a short time. He/she can’t believe there is such a life-changing turning point in their life. It is a kind of self-protection to prevent him from being overcome by sadness and pain.In this phase you must initially accept the views of the person involved. This does not mean that you should lie to him, but rather to gain time. For example, you can tell him that you don’t want to talk about it now, but later. If you deprive him of all hope now, you will undermine his courage for life.And let’s be honest, even in the case of a dramatic physical condition, doctors often do not know to what extent the body still has the capacity to recover or whether the patient can still develop alternative coping strategies.

The phase of breaking emotions

In this phase the person concerned becomes aware of the full extent of the possible limitations. He tends to overestimate the consequences, feels helpless, without any hope and reacts with depression.The uncertainty is great, he has lost confidence in his body, fears the future, possible suffering and death. This is usually accompanied by a period in which he is very aggressive, refuses to take medication, refuses physiotherapy, does not want to use aids, etc. He also suffers from a negative self-image, believes he is no longer capable of doing anything and is worthless. are.In this phase it is important to continue talking to the affected person. It’s completely normal what he’s going through . Listen to him and don’t talk him out of his feelings. But if he refuses to take essential medication, you should of course use all your influence and encourage him to take that medication.

Phase of slow reorientation

If all goes well, the patient eventually reaches a point where he becomes accustomed to the idea that the world for him will not be as it was before his illness. He is now using all his strength to get his new life on track better.It will now be a lot easier for you : because the patient is now calmer and relaxed, you can also regain new strength. You sense hope to overcome fate together.