Long Term Physical Health Conditions

Living Well with Long-term Physical Health Conditions

The Mind and Body

Do you know that about one in three people who have a long-term health condition or persistent physical health problems such as Diabetes, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Coronary heart disease, Chronic back pain (muscular or skeletal), Chronic Fatigue, Fibromyalgia and many more, may also struggle with mental health problems like anxiety and depression.

Having a long term physical health condition and a mental health problem at the same time is quite common. Long term health conditions are one of the major causes of poor quality of life in England. More than 50 per cent of people with a long term condition see their health as a barrier to the amount of work or the type of work that they can do and this can increase to more than 80 per cent when someone has three or more long term health conditions.

Living with long-term physical conditions can bring considerable emotional adjustment and burden to people, carers and families. You may experience symptoms such as fatigue, pain, poor sleep uncertainty around treatment and diagnoses. You may also have difficulty with coping day by day, achieving a satisfying lifestyle, accepting the illness, managing symptoms, motivation, adjusting to changes to your usual routines such as work or relationships.

All these can contribute to mental health problems, which in turn can worsen physical symptoms.

If you have long term health conditions or persistent physical symptoms, NHS Talking Therapies can help you or your loved ones, such as:

Learn how mental and physical health interact.
Understand in-depth, the relationship between physical and mental illness
Improve your ability to recognise symptoms and find help.
Learn to manage and cope with your symptoms

Living Well with Diabetes

Around 41% of people living with diabetes experience emotional or psychological problems such as depression, anxiety and emotional distress. Researchs shows that improvements in psychological wellbeing have positive impact in helping people to manage their diabetes.

NHS Talking Therapies offers support through Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and looks at how your thoughts and behaviours affect the way you feel. Our aim is to give you practical tools to help manage your psychological wellbeing, in order for you to feel happier, healthier and more in control.

We also offer counselling to explore your thoughts and feelings about living with a long term health condition. We know that it can be difficult to adjust and accept the changes diabetes brings, and you may feel that you have lost a lot. Counselling can offer a safe space to help you explore the emotional impact in the hope that you are able to find acceptance of the life with diabetes.

You can self-refer to NHS Talking Therapies and book an initial assessment in which will be your opportunity to discuss with a trained practitioner how diabetes is affecting your mental, emotional and physical wellbeing. We will then discuss with you suitable support options. This may be within our service or other services outside of NHS Talking Therapies.

Are you living with Diabetes?

Do you struggle with any of the following?

Increased tiredness and loss of motivation
Persistent worries about diet, blood sugars, administering insulin or hypos
Panic or embarassment about having a hypo
Avoiding certain situations because of your long term condition
Fear of being negatively judged
Feeling overwhelmed by diabetes management
Feeling frustrated and angry about how to manage your condition

If so, you are not alone and this is not something you have to put up with.

Whether you are newly diagnosed or have been living with diabetes for awhile, we are committed to helping people with diabetes to feel in control of their mental and emotional wellbeing.

We are a free NHS service providing a range of psychological support to help you with symptoms of anxiety, panic or low mood.

Psychological support for Respiratory Conditions

Sufferers of rspiratory conditions are approximately twice as likely to suffer with anxiety and depression and up to 10 times more likely to experience panic attacks than the general population.

Research shows that improvements in psychological wellbeing have a positive impact in helping people to manage their respiratory conditions.

NHS Talking Therapies offers support through Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and looks at how your thoughts and behaviours affect the way you feel. Our aim is to give you practical tools to help manage your mental wellbeing, in order for you to feel happier, healthier and more in control.

We also offer counselling to explore your thoughts and feelings about living with a long term health condition. We know that it can be difficult to adjust and accept the changes respiratory difficulties bring, and you may feel that you have lost a lot. Counselling can offer a safe space to help you explore the emotional impact in the hope that you are able to find acceptance of the life with respiratory difficulties.

Are you living with a Respiratory condition?

Do you struggle with any of the following?

Scared to be active when experiencing breathlessness, chest tightening, or coughng
Feeling demotivated or struggling with tiredeness
Struggling to sleep well
Worrying about your condition or things getting worse
Feeling overwhelmed, frustrated or angry about having or managing your condition

If so, you are not alone and this is not something you have to put up with.

Whether you are newly diagnosed or have been living with respiratory difficulties for awhile, we are committed to helping people to feel in control of their mental and emotional wellbeing.