Masiviwe’s focus this month has been on people who live with chronic illnesses – such as high blood pressure, HIV and AIDS, Diabetes, Arthritis and TB. Living with a chronic condition, and also caring for someone living with a chronic condition, can put strain on your mental health.
In an article entitled, “The complex relationship between TB and mental health”, the author, Dr Jennifer Furin, paints this scenario: “So let’s say there is a young woman who has small children and she finds out she has TB. She is unable to work because she is too sick and now she is stressed about how she will feed her children. She feels like a failure, and so she is depressed and anxious.” Research shows that 40-50% of people living with TB also suffer with a mental health condition.
Here are some mental health tips for people living with a chronic illness:
MONTHLY MINUTE
Go to our website www.masiviwe.org.za for more information on where to find mental health support, and search MasiviweZA on all social media pages to get our latest tips.
1. Jennifer J. Furin, MD, PhD, Global Health and Social Medicine. In-depth: The complex relationship between TB and mental health. Spotlight12th October 2022 | Tiyese Jeranji