| Living with a chronic condition: Overview | 3400.00000000000 | Living with a chronic condition: Overview | Living with a chronic condition: Overview | L | English | Psychiatry | Preschooler (2-4 years);School age child (5-8 years);Pre-teen (9-12 years);Teen (13-18 years) | NA | NA | Conditions and diseases | Caregivers
Adult (19+) | NA | | 2018-11-26T05:00:00Z | | Sara Ahola Kohut, PhD, C.Psych | | | | 11.0000000000000 | 54.0000000000000 | 475.000000000000 | | Flat Content | Health A-Z | <p>Find out how a chronic condition affects your child's mental health and how to help them adjust to a recent diagnosis.<br></p> | <p>A diagnosis of a chronic (long-term) condition can have a major impact on a child or teen.</p><p>Life with a chronic condition often involves dealing with symptoms, taking medications, attending more medical appointments than usual and having more frequent tests and procedures to monitor any changes. As a result, your child or teen might miss school, activities with friends or family, hobbies or sports at a time when they are figuring out who they are and what they like, as well as trying to become independent.</p>
| | <h2>Key points</h2><ul><li>A chronic condition can affect many aspects of your child's everyday routine at a time when they are figuring out who they are and what they enjoy.</li><li>Some children with a chronic condition may develop symptoms of anxiety, depression or other mental health conditions.</li><li>You can help your child or teen adjust by treating them as a whole person and encouraging them to develop a set of physical, behavioural and mental coping strategies.</li></ul> | <h2>Impact of chronic condition on mental health</h2><p>Some children with a chronic condition may be more likely to develop symptoms of <a href="/Article?contentid=18&language=English">anxiety</a>, <a href="/Article?contentid=19&language=English">depression</a> or other mental health conditions. This can look like worry and sadness, but also frustration, anger and irritability. There can be many reasons for this.</p><ul><li>When they learn they have a chronic health condition, many children and teens, understandably, may be afraid of the unknown and struggle with their added healthcare responsibilities.</li><li>Some children may start to see themselves differently and struggle to relate to their healthy friends. Over time, this might cause them to withdraw from social situations and become isolated.</li><li>Other children and teens might find it hard to balance their growing independence with the need for support to manage their illness from parents and their healthcare team.</li></ul><h2>Helping your child adjust to a chronic condition</h2><p>As your child or teen adjusts to a chronic condition, it is important to take care of them as a whole person and <a href="/Article?contentid=3401&language=English">support them</a> in managing all aspects of the condition, whether they are physical, emotional, behavioural or social.</p><p>Help your child develop their own set of coping strategies for their chronic condition. For instance, you can help them identify what helps ease their symptoms, whether they are:</p><ul><li>physical strategies (such as hot packs or a warm bath)</li><li>behaviours (such as deep breathing or stretching, or doing fun things)</li><li>coping thoughts (such as, “I can get through this.”, “I’ve done this before, I can do this again.”).</li></ul><p>The way you parent and support your child will change as your child gets older and as they spend more time living with a chronic condition. Typically, you will need to be more involved with a younger child and/or shortly after diagnosis. As your child becomes a teenager, your focus will shift towards helping them learn to manage their condition and become more independent.</p>
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | <h2>Further information</h2><p>For more information on parenting a child or teen with a chronic condition, please see the following pages:</p><p>
<a href="https://akhpub.aboutkidshealth.ca/Article?contentid=3401&language=English">Living with a chronic condition: Helping your child manage their health</a></p><p>
<a href="https://akhpub.aboutkidshealth.ca/Article?contentid=3402&language=English">Living with a chronic condition: Maintaining your child's everyday routines</a></p><p>
<a href="https://akhpub.aboutkidshealth.ca/Article?contentid=3403&language=English">Living with a chronic condition: Supporting yourself as a caregiver</a><br></p> | | | | | | | | | | Living with a chronic condition: Overview | | False | | | | | |
