But You Look Good!

I recently went to the InvisibleDisabilities.org Website and discovered that their slogan reads, “BUT YOU LOOK GOOD!” That is why these disabilities, or illnesses, or conditions are all invisible. From the outside, you cannot see them, but just because you cannot see them does not mean that they do not exist!

As you know, I have been carrying my own Invisible Disability for almost half of my life. When I started writing my blog, several of you came to me and said that you, too, suffer from chronic conditions that greatly affect your lives. When I started asking YOU questions, I learned that those conditions – YOUR conditions - have these names:

Delayed Sleep Syndrome
Seizure Disorder
Meniere’s Disease
Fibromyalgia
Depression
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Arthritis
Chronic Pain Syndrome
Anxiety
Osteoporosis
Kienbock’s Disease
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Migraines
Insomnia
Borderline Personality Disorder
Diabetes
Degenerative Disc Disease
Neofibromatosis (Genetic Tumor Disorder)
And MORE!

These diseases live inside of people who you know. These conditions are carried by your friends, your family members, your spouses, your patients your co-workers, your neighbors and other loved ones whom you see everyday!

According to the survey I sent out (which many of you responded to), these Invisible Diseases affect your lives in many ways, such as:

Loss of Sleep
Constant Fear or Anxiety
Severe Daily Pain
Depressive Thoughts or Tendencies
Feeling Unaccepted by Loved Ones
Loneliness
Worry regarding when the next Episode or Trauma will occur
Loss of Faith
Exhaustion
Decrease in Sex Drive
Fear of Rejection
Inability to Perform Daily Job Functions
Burdened by Continued Treatments
Decrease in Appetite
Infertility
Frequent Changes in Mood
Increase in Appetite (over-eating)
Inability to Perform General Activities of Daily Living
…. And Much, Much MORE!

To give you a greater picture of this epidemic, according to www.depressionperspection.com, a survey conducted in 2009 revealed that, “Approximately 18.8 million American adults, or about 9.5 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older in a given year, have a depressive disorder,” (2009).

According to an article in Time Magazine, “More than a quarter of Americans suffer daily pain…” (2008).

Think about your life and the people who are in it….

Who do you know who suffers from one of these invisible diseases?

How can you help?