Coping With Chronic Illness And Disability

This book synthesizes the expanding literature on coping styles and strategies by analyzing how individuals with CID face challenges, find and use their strengths, and alter their environment to fit their life-changing realities. The book includes up-to-date information on coping with high-profile conditions, such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, spinal cord injuries, and traumatic brain injury, in-depth coverage of HIV/AIDS, chronic pain, and severe mental illness, and more.

In the United States, chronic diseases currently account for 70 percent of all deaths, and close to 48 million Americans report a disability related to a chronic condition. Today, about one in four Americans have multiple diseases and the prevalence and burden of chronic disease in the elderly and racial/ethnic minorities are notably disproportionate. Chronic disease has now emerged as a major public health problem and it threatens not only population health, but our social and economic welfare. Living Well with Chronic Disease identifies the population-based public health actions that can help reduce disability and improve functioning and quality of life among individuals who are at risk of developing a chronic disease and those with one or more diseases. The book recommends that all major federally funded programmatic and research initiatives in health include an evaluation on health-related quality of life and functional status. Also, the book recommends increasing support for implementation research on how to disseminate effective longterm lifestyle interventions in community-based settings that improve living well with chronic disease. Living Well with Chronic Disease uses three frameworks and considers diseases such as heart disease and stroke, diabetes, depression, and respiratory problems. The book's recommendations will inform policy makers concerned with health reform in public- and private-sectors and also managers of communitybased and public-health intervention programs, private and public research funders, and patients living with one or more chronic conditions.

If you suffer from a chronic medical condition like cancer, HIV, diabetes, asthma, or hypertension, you know how hard it can be to perform all the self-care behaviors required of you, especially if you are also dealing with depression. Studies have shown that depressed individuls with chronic illness have a hard time keeping up with the behaviors necessary to manage their condition and improve their health. The program outlined in this workbook can help you take better care of yourself while simultaneously relieving your depression. Designed to be used in conjunction with visits to a qualified mental health professional, this workbook teaches you strategies for maintaining your medical regimen. You will learn how to set up a reminder system for taking medication, plan for getting to medical appointments on time, and how to communicate effectively with your medical providers. You will also learn how to follow the advice of your treatment providers, such as adhering to certain lifestyle and dietary recommendations. These Life-Steps are essential to the program. As you begin to take better care of yourself, you will notice a decrease in your depression. In addition to these self-care skills, you will also learn how to maximize your quality of life, which is another important part of lessening your depressed feelings. Begin to re-engage in pleasurable activities and utilize relaxation techniques and breathing exercises to help you cope with stress and discomfort. Use problem-solving to successfully deal with interpersonal or situational difficulties and change your negative thought through adaptive thinking. By treatment's end you will have all the skills you need to successfully manage your illness and cope with your depression.

Health psychology is a rapidly expanding discipline at the interface of psychology and clinical medicine. This new edition is fully reworked and revised, offering an entirely up-to-date, comprehensive, accessible, one-stop resource for clinical psychologists, mental health professionals and specialists in health-related matters. There are two new editors: Susan Ayers from the University of Sussex and Kenneth Wallston from Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The prestigious editorial team and their international, interdisciplinary cast of authors have reconceptualised their much-acclaimed handbook. The book is now in two parts: part I covers psychological aspects of health and illness, assessments, interventions and healthcare practice. Part II covers medical matters listed in alphabetical order. Among the many new topics added are: diet and health, ethnicity and health, clinical interviewing, mood assessment, communicating risk, medical interviewing, diagnostic procedures, MMR, HRT, sleep disorders, and skin disorders.

Couples and families face daunting challenges as they cope with serious illness and disability. This book gives clinicians a roadmap for helping affected individuals and their loved ones live well with a wide range of child, adult, and later-life conditions. John S. Rolland describes ways to intervene with emerging challenges over the course of long-term or life-threatening disorders. Using vivid case examples, he illustrates how clinicians can help families harness their strengths for positive adaptation and relational growth. Rolland's integrated systemic approach is useful for preventive screening, consultations, brief counseling, more intensive therapy, and multifamily groups, across health care settings and disciplines. This book significantly advances the clinical utility of Rolland?s earlier landmark volume, Families, Illness, and Disability.

Tells how to learn about one's illness, seek second opinions, handle medications, cope with depression, and deal with changes