Share

Tweet

Link

Print

Chat

Of the 13.5 million Americans living with COPD, an overwhelming percentage of them suffer from depression and anxiety. Few studies exist that investigate the impact of COPD on patient anxiety and depression, but it has been found that psychiatric impairments can double the length of hospitalization, and have a "high impact on abulation, sleep and rest."¹

Individuals diagnosed with COPD are at an increased risk of anxiety and depression. Dr. Byron Thomashow, Medical Director of the Center for Chest Disease at the New York Presbyterian Hospital and Clinical Professor of Medicine at Columbia University, asserts that much of it stems from guilt and self-blame.

“There is a struggle with the blame-game that we are trying to move away from. Many patients are older and feel it is something they did to themselves,” Thomashow says.

Gennie Anderson, a respiratory therapist at the Bloomingdale Health Care Center of the Lexington Health Network, and caregiver for 31 years, also believes shame plays a role in depression among patients.

“The onset of depression often occurs when patients receive supplemental oxygen. Many times it coincides with hospitalization and indicates a lifestyle change,” she says.

In a comparative systematic review examining the rate of mental illness in advanced diseases, COPD surpassed those of cancer, AIDS, heart disease, and renal disease.²(Refer to chart.) COPD symptoms that increase the risk for anxiety and depression include sleep deprivation, appetite disturbances, inability to perform certain activities, and feelings of hopelessness.³

While susceptibility to anxiety and depression may seem almost unavoidable for some living with COPD, there are steps patients and caregivers can take to alleviate its effects or prevent it altogether.

“COPD treatments must deal with the emotional impact as well as the physical. They interact, and you cannot successfully treat COPD without addressing both,” Thomashow says.

For patients, abandoning mental patterns of self-blame is critical for healing. Support groups provide a forum for individuals with COPD to open up about their struggles and successes, and connect with others who understand. Anderson believes in the vitally important role support groups play in reinforcing positive habits.

“When they stay in isolation it is easy to remain depressed. It is only when they reach out that it changes,” says Anderson. “You know that feeling of having nothing left? I have had that feeling, and it does get better. But to get better you have to start somewhere,” Anderson says.

¹McSweeny AJ, Grant I, Heaton RK, Adams KM, Timms RM. Life quality of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Arch Intern Med 1982;142:473_/8.

• More Like This
• Renewed Hope for COPD Patients
• Letter from the Publisher
• Update Quickies