Certain Social Problems Caused By Chronic Illnesses

Health and illness have psychological and social aspects, besides their medical and biological aspects. Health and illness not only have effects on human body. Chronic illnesses may also cause social problems sometimes. The fact that chronic illnesses are long-termed could raise the probability of confronting social problems. Not only the patients with chronic illnesses but also the people around them could have social problems. Nowadays life expectancy increasingly strings out. Living for a long time could also bring about the increase of chronic illnesses. For this reason, it can be said that social problems of individuals with chronic illnesses become more important day by day.Chronic illnesses’ social effects could change as to many factors such as the sick person himself/herself, type of the illness, educational level of the patient, gender, social stratum, family structure, living place. Selfhood and identities of patients with chronic illness could alter in some sense. Because many circumstances such as long-termed chronic illnesses, physical losses, disability can cause decrease of self-esteem, loss of social identity, identity alterations. Chronic illnesses may have effects on people’s daily life activities. Especially serious chronic illnesses may prevent the patients from doing daily life activities and cause them to be dependent on other people. Patients with chronic illnesses have also a number of problems in their social relationships. Many factors such as physical deficiency or changes about appearance, stigmatization, shame, decrease of self-esteem, financial problems, state of the illness could cause decrease in the patients’ social relationships or social isolation. Patients with chronic illnesses have also some problems about performing social roles in and out of the family. Some chronic illnesses could be qualified as deviation sometimes and the patients fall into that illness could be stigmatized. Stigmatized persons may confront with problems on achieving health services and contributing social life. Expressing the social problems caused by chronic illnesses is extremely important in the sense of solving problems.