Coping with chronic illness using cognitive behavioural therapy

For those who live with chronic health conditions, it is important to talk about what you’re experiencing in order to be able to process what you’re going through.

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a structured talking therapy, which when used in conjunction with living with a chronic health problem, can help you to accept and adjust as best as you can to your condition.

Here, one of our expert clinical psychologists Dr Morwenna Opie explains how CBT can be a beneficial treatment for those who are living with a chronic illness.

What is CBT?

CBT is a structured talking therapy that can help to improve recovery, ability to function and your quality of life. It’s not a cure but as a therapy, it can be particularly useful in helping someone cope better with some of the very real and frightening symptoms that they may live with on a day-to-day basis.

Illness is unpredictable and it can also place added stress on relationships. CBT can help if your mood is low. It teaches us how to think and respond to a situation that affects how we eventually feel. With practice, we can choose to notice the habitual thoughts that we face and to change these patterns so that we feel better.
 

Can a chronic health condition be ‘in someone’s head’?

Unfortunately, around 50-80% of individuals prior to correct diagnosis have had symptoms misdiagnosed often as ‘all in their head’. Therefore, any suggestion by a medical professional to seek psychological support can be misinterpreted as a trivialisation and misunderstanding of the physical nature of an illness, leaving some of us reluctant to access this important form of support.

Similarly, patients with illnesses that are not caused by deconditioning, require input from physiotherapy services to prevent future deterioration and to adjust to the changes wrought by their illness. In the same way, patients with illnesses not begun by psychological processes can benefit enormously from psychological support going forward.
 

What happens during a CBT session?

During therapy, your therapist should take the time to help you understand how the treatment will work, address any questions and identify your goals. When it comes to behavioural changes, this includes working towards accepting your limitations, adjusting to the unpredictability of chronic illness and helping you pace yourself to achieve the challenges of daily life whilst still maintaining activities that most help you feel positive and fulfilled.

A good therapist should help you to become aware as to how thoughts about having a long-term illness or disability can influence your mood and even your symptoms. Practitioners experienced in working with patients with long-term health conditions should be able to adapt their approach to your particular situation.
 

Is CBT for everyone?

To reap the full benefit of therapy, the patient needs to be committed to engaging fully in sessions and the tasks in between sessions. They need to have hope or confidence in the approach and through the guidance of the therapist, they gain good insight into the consequences of their thinking styles and behavioural patterns.
It can be hard work making all of the necessary life changes when living with a chronic illness. It is helpful for patients to know that after all of the hard work and adjusting to what they cannot do, whilst focusing on what they can do, many report that they can enjoy happy and fulfilling lives.
 

Read more: How a psychologist can help with your health problems

If you would like to have a therapy session with Dr Opie, you can book an appointment via her Top Doctor’s profile. Dr Opie is also available for a therapy session via video conference call using our e-Consultation service, which you can also access via her profile.