Choose one chronic illness (heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, asthma, cancer, kidney disease, lupus, Alzheimer disease, etc.) and discuss the ways in which psychology is involved at various stages such as at the initial onset of symptoms, diagnosis, and ongoing management of symptoms and treatments. You can do research online or talk to someone you know who has the chronic illness you chose to cover.

Share at least one behavioral change a family member or friend can make to help someone who has the selected chronic illness.

Your Discussion should be at least 250 words in length, but not more than 750 words. Use APA citations and references for the textbook and any other sources used.

Answer:

Firstly you have to choose any chronic illness and then interview a patient

Mostly with chronic illness patients and family members go through the stages of grief which you can apply to this also. When you are interviewing your patient you can correlate it to these stages. Also, another concept you can look out for is protective factors. Protective factors are those resources a person uses to help cope with stress and anxiety. They are healthy patterns of living.

For eg personality factors, social support, religion, etc. In other words which resources have your patient used to deal with this illness. Many patients find solace in God or family. You can also find many research articles about social support, self-esteem. religiosity, hardiness, resilience which people have used to deal with their illness. The same can be applied to the family members of such patients

In brief

A terminal illness is the final or end-stage of your life where your illness cannot be cured or treated. In other words, you are very close to death. Some of the terminal diseases are cancer, chronic heart diseases, lung failure, severe tumors, Alzheimer's, old age, etc

There are 4 phases of terminal illness that an individual goes through once diagnosed

(You can write this as part of your introduction)

1) The Pre-diagnosis phase - when you visit your doctor because you don't seem fine after all the medication etc. The doctor will then recommend further testing

2) Acute phase, - you are finally diagnosed. You doctor will then provide you with a treatment plan

3) The term chronic phase - refers to how you deal with your illness, the acceptance of it, and how optimistic you are for your future.

In this stage, you also experience the 5 stages of grief which are

(you can correlate this with the information your patient shared and what psychological help the patient can get)

STAGE 1 - DENIAL

You may deny the severity of your illness or deny the outcome of the illness. It is a defense mechanism that we use to unconsciously deal with stressful or traumatic events. It also gives the patient time to gather him or herself, use available resources. For eg denying that you have cancer and will die in 6months. If the patient is in this phase it is best to initially leave them alone as in give them space where they can think about it. If it persists too long then post-traumatic stress techniques can be used such as gently confrontation and providing contradictory information.

Stage 2 – Anger

Denying will be replaced by anger where a person's anger is directed outward maybe to God, to society, the doctor, the one's family, etc. For eg blaming god for this illness even after living such a religious life. Again it is difficult to work with a patient in this stage. It is best to give them space and support them. As family members, it is best if they do not engage more in arguing and provoking the patient further.

Stage 3 – Bargaining

The patient tries to bargain with himself, the doctor, or God to try and prevent death and give them more time to live. For eg they might pray to God that if you cure me I will do social work all my life. They may bargain with themselves also by finding faults in themselves. For eg if only I did not smoke every day I could have lived longer etc. In this stage, it is best to listen to the patient and to slowly bring them to the goal of acceptance. Since many patients are scared, it is good to provide them with the necessary information, support. Patients can talk to other patients as well to learn about their experiences. Social group and group therapies are very helpful.

Stage 4 –Depression

The person may feel sad, depressed, guilty, have self-hatred, have a sense of failure, and a sense that all hope is lost and may even regret that they could not achieve Xyz things. It is not the same as the Depression disorder but if the symptoms prevail for 6months a diagnosis can be given. Agin if the patient is in this stage the goal is to help them reach acceptance by helping them to find something meaningful or some purpose. Patients are mainly asked to engage in community work or engage in deep reflections.

Stage 5 – Acceptance

Acceptance is the final stage. It is about accepting the inevitable. The patient is able to find peace.

Not all people reach this stage successfully, and some may deny it to the end or get stuck on any one of the previous stages.

4) In the terminal phase- you are at your end moments. You may have to be hospitalized

IMPACT ON FAMILY MEMBERS (You can add some of this too)

People who are close to the patient might also experience a wide range of emotions and shock. They may even go through the 5 stages of grief. They also need to consider how they can support the patient and be there for them. As a result, they might even make some lifestyle choices such as calling the patient every day, visiting them often, etc.

In some situations, it may result in stress, anger, or denial. Caring for someone who is ill can affect the person's family life work etc. It becomes difficult and stressful for the caregiver. They may feel helpless, guilty, not good enough, feel regret, feel like giving up. Putting someone's needs before your own can be very difficult. At times caregivers lose aspects of themselves and their lives. They stop doing activities that they love or meeting others. Their life only begins to revolve around the patient and that can be a problem too. There are many social support counseling groups for caregivers also which has found to benefit them greatly in lifting some of that burden and helplessness.

For the patient, research shows that having good social support doesn't cure the illness but it makes dealing with the illness better. Patients will at least feel loved, cared for in their final moments, and many times it gives them peace and happiness. They do not feel alone and feel that in their final moments the people who love them and who they love are there with them. Also being a part of various social support groups has also shown to be beneficial because then patients can relate to other patients, they come to develop stronger bonds or friendships and care for each other.

(You can always refer to various researches about social support and terminal illness)

You can mention other protective factors like religion, self-esteem, etc depending on whichever you patient talks about.

Share at least one behavioral change a family member or friend can make to help someone who has the selected chronic illness.

• Visiting or calling them often
• Being compassionate and empathetic to them
• Being supportive and helpful
• Doing enjoyable things with them
• Taking them for their doctor’s appointments
• Praying for them
• Helping them financially or with groceries etc
• Being patient and calm with them