Source: integrityinc.org
Chronic illnesses and disabilities can become relevant barriers to daily performance. For many people, the major challenge of suffering from a disability is not the disability per se but how society reacts to the disability. Classrooms, workplaces, offices, and essentially every part of everyday life are all designed around a presumed standard. Numerous disability activists and scholars describe disability not as a particular list of diseases or an insufficiency. Rather, disability is the result of society’s mindsets.
Chronic illnesses and disabilities are typical. They take into consideration the very concept of a healthy individual. The U.S. Census Bureau states that there is one in five Americans suffers from a disability. Other approximations placed higher numbers. On the other hand, the National Health Interview Survey 2012 reported that over 25 million Americans suffer from chronic pain, while another 40 million go through major levels of chronic pain as well.
Individuals who suffer from physical and mental health disabilities can find help through art therapy for people with disabilities and disability counseling. Therapists are capable of supporting and counseling disabled people to strive and deal with the anxiety and stress of their disability, go through the impact of disability on their relationships, and help them with their needs.
Conditions That Are Considered As Chronic
Chronic conditions and disabilities are both social concepts and physical actualities. An infertile individual might consider their circumstance as chronic if they are not able to bear a child. Someone who prefers not to have kids might not be aware that they can’t have children or might not see their circumstance as an illness.
Occasionally, social and medical standards do not match an individual’s physical experiences. For instance, although many people claim that they struggle with indications of chronic Lyme disease, numerous medical providers do not identify this as an actual diagnosis. Chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia are relatively new diagnoses. Those who suffer from these conditions struggle with convincing others to accept the validity of their symptoms. Some still experience different painful symptoms for most of their lives but never get a real diagnosis. This implies that a chronic illness list does exempt some diagnoses and some indications. Some of these examples include:
- Metabolic diseases like polycystic ovarian syndrome and diabetes.
- Progressive diseases like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD.
- Autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile diabetes, and lupus or SLE.
- Mental health disorders like bipolar, anxiety, and depression.
- Chronic pain disorders like fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis.
Source: kaplanco.com
Conditions That Are Considered As Disabilities
No one definition can define all disabilities. Also, the same illnesses may be crippling for one individual but only minor discomfort for another individual. For instance, someone with GAD or a generalized anxiety disorder can go through chronic anxiety that feels irritating. Another individual with the same illness could have difficulty leaving his going to school, working, or leaving his house.
The Americans with Disabilities Act describes disability as a mental or physical health condition that inhibits one or more major life events. Using this definition, a variety of illnesses can be considered disabilities. Other chronic conditions could result in disability as well. For instance, someone with osteoarthritis might have minor or no symptoms initially, but he could develop a major mobility deficiency after a while.
Stereotypes On Disability And Chronic Illness
Typecasts surrounding disability and chronic illness are the hallmarks of ableism or discrimination. These stereotypes make invisible the lived encounters of disabled individuals. Some typical stereotypes include:
- Individuals with disabilities or chronic disorders go through life controlled by their illness. They do not have many interests, religious or political outlooks, or hobbies like usually abled individuals.
- Individuals with chronic conditions and disabilities are often sick.
- Everyone with a chronic illness or a disability has a caregiver or is not capable of living independently.
- Those with chronic diseases and disabilities might not comprehend their own illness or might require the help of the able to understand their experiences and their lives.
Disabilities and Chronic Conditions In Kids And Young Adults
Kids and young adults who are disabled are confronted with the added restriction of being reliant on adults to deal with and meet their needs. They could face bullying at school or be living with parents who have belittling or biased opinions about depression and disability.
Source: everydayhealth.com
Asthma is the most predominant chronic condition among children. Other typical chronic disorders include epilepsy, cerebral palsy, congenital heart conditions, and diabetes. Depending on how chronic disease is interpreted, about 18% of kids have an existing chronic condition.
Very young kids might not understand their illness and might feel discouraged when their skills are not the same as their peers. Older kids might feel discriminated against, frustrated, or scared of being bullied when disability impedes their independence.
Books and articles about disability for kids could assist parents in starting a healthy discussion on disability, the distinct skills and perceptions that often come with a disability, and the social definition of disability. Therapy can help kids advocate for their necessities and better understand their disabilities. Family therapy can significantly help families efficiently support their disabled children and allow them to try and engage in adaptive sports for people with disabilities.