Chronic illness and its impact: Considerations for psychologists

Abstract

A significant proportion of the population is affected by chronic illnesses, which have a marked impact on psychological adjustment at both the individual and family level. The nature of these illnesses and their impacts is complex, and has implications for psychological practice. This paper reviews these issues, and argues that more emphasis should be given to medical conditions in training programmes for psychologists.

Keywords:

• chronic illness
• psychosocial impacts
• psychologists
• training