Any long-term illness can cause anxiety and low mood
Understandably, anyone with a long-term illness may sometimes feel depressed, anxious or have difficulty sleeping. It can quickly become a vicious circle as the low mood or anxiety have a “knock-on effect” on their illness. Anxiety, for example, can cause physical symptoms such as feeling sick, sleeping badly or feeling very tired.
The importance of managing the psychological effects of long-term physical illness is becoming more widely understood and accepted. Many hospitals have psychologists for certain conditions such as diabetes, cystic fibrosis or chronic fatigue syndrome.
It’s important to look at the whole person and consider what else may contribute to general well-being and health, both physically and mentally. This might be practical things like looking at food, exercise and sleep as well as psychological support. Family therapy can be helpful as it is often hard for parents and siblings as well.
What support is there for families?
Family therapy is sometimes offered via a local Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service, or via a local charity. If your child is an in-patient, there may be a parent peer support group (see below for links) or you could start one if not. It is also worth looking at free Parenting groups provided by your local city council or local charities e.g in Bristol, the charity Off The Record has a parent group. Our pages on anxiety and low mood might be also useful for your child (or yourself)
For parents
- Chronic physical illnesses from the Royal College of Psychiatry
- Helping your child cope with a chronic illness: 19 top tips
- Children with chronic illness – dealing with depression and emotional problems from the American Association of Pediatrics.
- Managing post-viral fatigue in the context of COVID
- How to set up your own parent support group
- Advice on parenting disabled children: also useful for parents of children with other long-term conditions
- Research by University College London on improving the mental health of children and young people with long-term conditions
- Long COVID in children – guidance for professionals and parents
For young people
- What is chronic fatigue syndrome and how will it affect me? (The Mix)
- Young Person’s Guide to Chronic Fatigue and ME by The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
- Resources for Coping with Chronic Fatigue for young people from the Chronic Fatigue Service in Bath- activity diaries, energy management, learning challenges, exam stress, relaxation, sleep and lots more. This also links to a specific leaflet on ‘Being Well at School’ and information for schools and colleges.
- Wellbeing toolkit. A sheet of suggestions for mini steps to take to improve well-being, it can be helpful to break things down in this way, which can otherwise seem overwhelming.
- Help for young people living with pain from the Royal United Hospital in Bath