What are some issues facing the Young (Teen-Adult) living with chronic illness?
A. There are some similarities among all groups when it comes to dealing with chronic illness. The physical symptoms: pain, severe fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, etc. There are, however, some very specific challenges facing the young person. The effects on sense of “self”, peer pressure, achieving an education, work experience and establishing a family are some of the significant aspects of the young person’s illness that generally don’t effect other groups suffering from chronic illness. Sense of “Self”: So what happens when the young person has a chronic illness? He/she has to change his sense of “self” again. Some young people who already suffer from low self-esteem shift from seeing themselves as able-bodied to seeing themselves as disabled. If this young person sees his/her “self” only as “chronically ill” rather than as a person who has a chronic illness there can be serious repercussions. He can get fearful about his future. If the parent has a chronic illness as well how the a
A. There are some similarities among all groups when it comes to dealing with chronic illness. Some similarities are physical symptoms: pain, severe fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, etc. There are, however, some very specific challenges facing the young person. The effects on sense of “self”, peer pressure, achieving an education, work experience and establishing a family are some of the significant aspects of the young person’s illness that generally don’t effect other groups suffering from chronic illness. Sense of “Self”: So what happens when the young person has a chronic illness? He/she has to change his sense of “self” again. Some young people who already suffer from low self-esteem shift from seeing themselves as able-bodied to seeing themselves as disabled. If this young person sees his/her “self” only as “chronically ill” rather than as a person who has a chronic illness there can be serious repercussions. He can get fearful about his future. If the parent has a chronic illness
