Today one in every four people suffers from a chronic disease like cancer, cardiovascular disease, TB, Alzheimer, etc. Markets like health care, medicine, and pharmaceuticals are growing exponentially due to the increase in diseases around people worldwide. Every day several people report a new case of critical chronic illness which ultimately adds up to be the patient at the end of the day. Often these people go through mental and emotional breakdowns due to the new lifestyle they unwillingly have to adapt to prevent an increase in the cause of their condition. They suffer mentally thinking about their long-duration treatments and the cost they must pay. Soon they also become anxious and depressed thinking about many factors like family, career and lifestyle goals, etc. It is often very difficult to know whether the patient is going through depression.
Later, with an overthinking and depressed mind, they have a pessimistic perception of their life, eventually worsening their condition. With a healthy mind, a body recovers more and has an edge in quality of life. Henceforth even patients suffering from the biggest chronic diseases must be healthy from the mind.
Emotion Health is necessary for a balanced and healthy lifestyle, be it an athlete, a normal person, or an unhealthy patient. People with good emotional health tend to have control over their life. They may feel unpleasant, angry, or even stressed, but what makes their health is the way they deal with those situations. They often talk to a doctor or their therapist whenever required. There is a sacred bond between doctors and patients as the patients trust the doctor with his life. When their relationship is healthy, the patient will have better emotional clarity toward his doctor and his loved ones. It is the doctor's role to understand their patients thoroughly and their mental illness and make them lively and optimistic. The body shows several symptoms of mental and psychological illness; therefore, it is fair to say that emotional health directly affects the physical body and the symptoms of various chronic diseases.
It must be the initiative of the doctors, family members, friends, and most importantly, their motivation to contribute to mental and emotional health. Patients can improve their mental health by expressing their feelings to others, being aware of their actions and thoughts, acting according to the situation, exercising regularly, avoiding stressful arguments or discussions, and, most importantly, being optimistic about everything. Judging one's thinking, beliefs, and perceptions in different aspects will help the person to shape their reality, and the person will therefore be more complete. It helps a person to make more meaningful relationships with each other, and hence they will be more involved with people, resulting in less isolation from society.
The doctor should be more like a friend than a doctor to the patient. Being a friend to the patient is the first step for to doctor to invest in their mental and emotional well-being. The closer they get to their patients, the more likely they will be able to share their problems, illness, and information on sensitive topics so the problem can be diagnosed and treated suitably. This way, the patients will show a more open nature towards the doctors for their treatment. Also, there must exist unsaid transparency between both sides. The patient must respect the doctor because the doctor must treat them with all the skills and knowledge acquired by them.
People with fair mental health may still have an emotional illness or mental problem due to chemical imbalance in the brain. Stress related to family, career or personal issues can also lead to mental illness. Several therapy sessions, drugs, and campaigns may provide a good remedy for emotional illness. Patients can practice various mindful disciplines like music, meditation, yoga, and exercise and sleep well. Strengthen their social relationships and connections, which help them to open up frequently and share themselves with more people. Identify the things that make one complete and happy
Patients with chronic medical illnesses can cause worry and feelings of inadequacy in the doctor, who is exposed to the accumulated pain and losses faced by patients and their families. These sentiments may be balanced by the sense of fulfillment that comes from delivering continuous and unwavering treatment and the genuine appreciation of patients. The number of individuals coping with chronic diseases appears to increase as therapies improve and life durations increase, particularly for disorders such as HIV infection and some cancers.
Hope is an important aspect of coping for patients and their families. The clinician plays an important role in instilling realistic optimism. Long-term survivors of HIV infection23 and long-term survivors of breast cancer must maintain optimism. 24 Healthy coping, on the other hand, departs from the widely held idea of "positive thinking." It involves accepting and communicating problems and feelings rather than just putting them aside. Despite the pressure from family and friends to always "keep a positive outlook," being able to discuss the anxieties, uncertainties and fears, losses, and sadness that usually accompany severe illness is generally beneficial.
Recognizing that the patient's condition has worsened and that they are nearing the end of their life can be upsetting for employees who have known the patient for a long time. In certain circumstances, the patient may be unwilling to address the necessity to adjust treatment objectives or the likelihood of death. In contrast, in others, the doctor's avoidance restricts the patient's ability to raise these matters. Staff may be hesitant to discontinue more harsh treatments. It is important to remember that health professionals' assessments of treatments they would accept differ from those of cancer patients.
The emotional aspects of patients diagnosed with chronic diseases are often ignored, and the whole attention is given to the physical and medical condition of the body. The well-being of the physical body directly depends upon the functionality of the mind. It requires initiative from the patients' side, efforts from the doctor's side, and the understanding of family members or friends for the right treatment of the patients, both for chronic and mental conditions. Most of the time, doctors find diagnosing depression in medically ill patients difficult. Modern-day doctors are skilled enough to face the biomedical aspects of the patients but not the psychological, mental, and emotional aspects of their condition. Doctors, family members, friends, and an active companion are important for the person to be emotionally well, which will eventually help the patient to recover from his condition at the best rate. People should reflect on the emotional aspect of their life. They must be given particular aids to stabilize their mental condition and lead them into a balanced and perfect lifestyle.