5 Ways a Chronic Illness Can Affect Your Relationship

And how to get them through it as a team. Can romantic relationships survive a chronic illness? If you or your loved one has recently been diagnosed, knowing how to handle possible changes can help you stay in love despite the emotional news of serious health problems or disease. What is a chronic illness or disease? The specific definition gets a bit tricky, as “[there] is not only tremendous variation in the diseases that are included under the umbrella term ‘chronic disease’ but also variation in the time a disease must be present for something to be referred to as chronic,” but for the purposes of simplification, the National Health Council — which states that by 2020, an estimated 157 million people in the United States will be affected by a chronic health condition — defines the term as “a disease lasting three months or longer.” While facing and dealing with chronic illness is understandably frightening, that fear does not need to rule or ruin your life or your relationships. When first diagnosed, don’t be surprised if you and your partner both initially respond as though there has been a death. The change from the relationship you had when you were both able-bodied to the one you’ll have as you journey into the unknown is worth spending the time to grieve. In fact, delaying the grief process puts your relationship at risk of rising undue resentment and irritability as you adjust to this unfamiliar life path. The most importa...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Chronic Pain Communication Health-related Publishers Relationships YourTango Chronic Disease chronic health condition Chronic Illness Source Type: blogs