Chronic childhood illness linked with later life mental health problems
Researchers at the University of Sussex and University College London systematically reviewed evidence from a large number of medical studies, looking for associations between eight chronic physical illnesses in childhood, such as arthritis , asthma and cancer, and emotional problems experienced by the sufferers in later life. The paper, published today in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry ( JCPP ), reveals that the sufferers of all chronic conditions reviewed were at increased risk of developing depression or anxiety , emotional problems that persisted beyond childhood and adolescence and into adult life. The results suggest that mental health prevention and intervention strategies which specifically target chronic illness sufferers in youth could be vital in treating mental health issues before they develop into more serious long term conditions. Speaking about the findings, psychologist Dr Darya Gaysina, senior researcher on the project at the Univer...