Sometimes we get sick, it’s never fun and we’re glad when it’s over. But, what if it persists? As adults we don’t like being sick and we struggle when we’re diagnosed with something like a Chronic illness. It’s hard on us as adults, now imagine how much more difficult this is for a Teenager?
Being a teenager is supposed to be great. It’s a time where many are becoming much more independent of their parents, forming tight social circles, participating in school, sports, learning to drive, going to parties, and exploring the world on their own. This is a massively enriching part of any person’s life.
However, many of these wonderful things become either harder to do or inaccessible when you’re a Teen diagnosed with a chronic illness.
An active social life, participating in sports or extracurricular activities is extremely important for Teens. As Robert Philips PhD says, “The need to “fit in” [is at] it’s strongest during adolescence [and] can be devastating to someone who has a chronic illness”. This can have a negative impact on a Teen’s self-esteem, which can lead to conditions such as depression and anxiety.
The sudden occurrence of a Chronic disease not only disrupts a Teens physical health, but their mental and emotionally health as well. As parents, siblings, friends, and therapists it’s important that we adopt positive models and techniques for helping Teens through this difficult time.
Here are a few ways we can help.
Speak Honestly
It’s very important to speak candidly with our Teens. As the American Society of Pediatrics states, “Seriously ill teenagers instinctively know about their condition.” Also, we as adults must recognize that our Teen is both strong and smart enough to talk about this topic. It is occurring in their body after all.
By speaking with them about their illness we allow them an opportunity to open up and discuss their fears, anxieties, how they feel about treatment, and how they want to proceed with the medical process. These are important discussions that need to be had and your Teen needs to be a part of.
Allowing them to be a part of these conversations empowers Teens with Chronic Illness. This gives them back some level of independence, that they may feel robbed of. Through having discussions about their medication, health care, and allowing them to have responsibility over their treatment we are helping them gain some mental clarity and control around their illness.
Educate Others
Siblings, relations, friends, these are all people who will be affected by the appearance of a chronic illness in a Teen. They may be unfamiliar with chronic illness or have no experience with someone going through it.
Therefore, to avoid insensitivity and promote understanding it is important to properly educate people on the issue. This will create better relations within a family, where sometimes siblings may feel that attention is being “taken away” from them towards their ill sibling. Educating a teen’s friends is also especially important, because many feel isolated during this time.
Michaela Shelly, a teen living with chronic illness says, “Our friends can’t really relate to us anymore because they don’t understand. They don’t know what it’s like to be sick and not have the energy to get out of bed in the morning. We want to go to school but we just can’t. Missing out on social events and just the daily aspects of life for hospital stays, treatments and doctor appointments makes us feel isolated. We don’t want to lose our friends.”
This highlights the importance of making sure we properly educate the people surrounding our Teens as they go through these conditions. Having a supportive group of family and peers around them is essential to their mental and emotional well-being.
Give them Heroes
“Everyone needs a hero”-Richard Cheu, Author of Living Well with Chronic Illness.
They inspire us and show us how to push through the hard times. Being aware of these types of people can be extremely beneficial for a Teen going through a chronic illness. It is important to highlight to them that many people survive or live with a chronic illness and go on to accomplish amazing feats. Just look at Stephen Hawking.
It’s important because this perspective shows them that their diagnosis doesn’t have to be a life sentence. Not only that, but through showing them positive role models their motivation and determination will increase, and it may help them overcome their condition.
Let Them Take Charge
This can be difficult for many parents, but by allowing Teen’s to take charge of their health, we are encouraging independence and acknowledging their abilities to handle the situation. This doesn’t mean beings hands-off. It means working with your Teen to find solutions, assess what their medical team is telling you, deciding whether to use a medication or not, and tracking their condition.
Paul Ballas and Renee L. Watson of the University of Rochester advocate taking it a step further by “Encouraging [them to] develop coping skills to address problems or concerns that might arise related to their illness.”
Have Empathy
One of the most important things you can do with any Teen suffering from chronic illness is to show empathy. Put yourself in their shoes and try to understand how they are feeling. This will help prevent insensitive comments or displays of either over or under protective behavior. Through striving to understand the feelings of your Teen you will be able to do a better job at helping them navigate their illness.
Reach Out
If you feel that you or your Teen is having a difficult time understanding and speaking about a chronic illness or if they are having emotional trouble with the situation, seek assistance. We here at The Center for Well Being are always here to help.
Please contact us at; https://askdrstephanie.com/reach-out/
References
https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?contenttypeid=90&contentid=P01658
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/this-is-what-its-like-to-be-a-teen-living-with-a-chronic-illness_b_6898318
https://www.aarda.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Adolescents-and-Chronic-Illness.pdf
https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/chronic/Pages/The-Stresses-Faced-By-Teenagers-Who-Are-Chronically-Ill-or-Disabled.aspx
https://psychcentral.com/blog/living-a-full-life-with-chronic-illness/
https://www.dawn.com/news/1435581