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Abstract
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Up to 30% of children and young people will develop a chronic illness or physical health problem. Treatment for a long term physical condition can deliver a significant burden which may lead to on-going psychological distress as well as having an impact on education, social development, family relationships, and age related developmental tasks affecting resilience and self esteem and undermine positive identity development and future hopes and dreams.
For many children and young people this impact on development and a hoped for future may be expressed as emotional distress. Refusal to follow medical regimens, poor self care, dissatisfaction with body image, difficult relationships with food, anger with friends and families, sadness and worry about the present and the future and unexplained physical symptoms are a few examples of how that distress may express itself. Rather than label these thoughts and feelings and behaviours as 'mental illness' an alternative story is to understand them as responses and solutions to difficult circumstances that may seem insurmountable. The role of paediatric and adolescent psychology is to work alongside medical teams and families to help them acknowledge and validate distress, find ways to minimize the emotional consequences of living with chronic disease and improve quality of life for children, young people and their families negotiating complex medical systems. A key message is that there is a powerful connection between what is happening to their body and their mind.
Language: en |