Some 45 percent of people who receive dialysis have suffered an anxiety disorder, and 20 percent have suffered major depression. To help patients, families, and health-care providers deal with the emotional aspects of living with kidney disease, APA has produced patient educational resources with Dialysis Patient Citizensopens in new window (DPC), an advocacy group of 30,000 dialysis and predialysis patients.
The joint effort is part of APA's Mind/Body Health Public Information Campaign, which educates the public about the connection between psychological and physical health.
Additional partnership activities include a webinar as well as a handout for health providers working with dialysis patients. The webinar covers such topics as recognizing the emotional side effects of life changes and how to cope with the extensive self-care that staying well requires. The webinar originally debuted as a pilot project in September 2014 at regional meetings around the country for patients and their families.
The patient handout focuses on handling stress and identifying when to seek help from psychologists. For clinicians, the resources discuss strategies on communicating with patients and spotting signs that they may be struggling with mental illness. The handouts are being distributed at more than 9,000 dialysis facilities nationwide.
"Through this partnership with DPC, we are helping consumers understand how psychology can help with issues related to managing or even preventing chronic disease," says APA's Luana Bossolo, associate executive director of public relations for the Practice Directorate.
— Stacy Lu