The Mental Side
of Pulmonary Disease

Your first thought is probably, "what does the mental side have to do with pulmonary disease?" Believe it or not it has a lot more to do with it than anyone realizes. The initial diagnosis is a complete "mental" shock for most people. The reason is the disease is so slow in progressing, initially, that you normally don't realize you have it until your first exacerbation. You are admitted into a hospital with an initial diagnosis of pneumonia or chronic bronchitis and you walk out with a diagnosis that will affect the rest of your life. In some cases you may even have to go on oxygen, at your first exacerbation. This can be traumatizing and debilitating. However, at that point in time, your decisions and actions could set the progression rate of your disease and how your quality of life will be affected for the remainder of your time here.

The first thing you will probably hear, when your DR gives you your diagnosis, is that this is a terminal disease and is incurable. This is, in fact true, but it doesn't mean you are going to die tomorrow or even the next day. The majority of the people that are diagnosed respond by going into a state of depression and/or anxiety. This can be the most dangerous part of the illness and can be the turning point of your life. If you accept the diagnosis, at face value, and "give up" then you have indeed sealed your fate to a relatively shortened life, and a miserable one at that. We have to take the diagnosis of terminal as what it is and not what we initially interpret. Terminal simply means an incurable disease that will eventually end your life. Another way to look at it is that, in a sense we are all terminal, nobody lives forever. However, we pretty much have the option, with our illness as to when and how. The absolute first step is to accept your illness, fight the depression and/or anxiety and develop a mindset that you will live long and prosper.

There are several ways to do this. You can start by seeing your DR and getting an accurate assessment of your mental status and his recommendations as to where to go from there. Next, join a support group for depression and anxiety. you have heard the old saying, "misery loves company," well it is very beneficial in this case. One of the best treatments is someone to share your bad days with who understands, and can relate. The amount of stress and anxiety is much less when shared by someone who understands. Another good source of treatment for this problem is educating yourself about your illness. We all fear the unknown, however, when we learn what we are facing, before we begin the battle, it is half won before the initial attack. A good support group for pulmonary disease is a good source for this education. The next step is ask your DR for medication to treat the depression and anxiety. The development of medication for these illness' has progressed so far in the past few years that there is no reason for anyone to be plagued with the suffering. If he thinks that it is necessary then he may refer you to a therapist or clinical psychologist to prescribe appropriate treatment. If this is the case then accept it for what it is, a specialist who treats an illness, not a certification of insanity.

Lastly, use the web, there is a multitude of sites with all kinds of valuable information on combating depression and anxiety as well as sites for pulmonary illness. A couple, in particular are "A COPD Survivor's Guide" by Bill Horden,  "Bookmarks at Olivija's Place" by Olivija Gwynn, or several support lists (Anxiety-L),  and the links to this web site. Above all else you must remember to keep a positive attitude, the will to fight and win over this illness. A quick way to shorten your life is to accept a defeatist attitude and lay down on the couch, turn on the TV and have someone wait on you 24 hours a day and tell yourself that you are a walking dead person, that's when you become one. Granted, it's not an easy job to combat the emotional attitude and our illness at the same time. It's a twenty-four hour, seven days a week job and not for the weak. But the rewards are tremendous, psychologically and physically, if you fight the war. Every battle won is a tremendous mental and physical step forward.