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International Day of Persons with Disabilities is celebrated every year on December 3 to raise awareness and focus global attention on diseases and disorders that not only disable people, but also have a long-term negative impact on their health. and quality of life.
Removing barriers, not only physical or medical / health access, but also social barriers such as stigma, is therefore a key objective for everyone and the main focus of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The theme for this day in 2020 is “Not all disabilities are visible.”
Invisible disabilities can be just as devastating
This year’s theme was designed to draw attention to disabilities that are not immediately apparent to others, and yet have a profound and potentially devastating impact on the lives of patients, their loved ones, and their caregivers. According to the WHO World Report on Disability 2011, 15 percent of the world’s population lives with disabilities and this global estimate is increasing. The reasons for this increase in disabilities range from the aging of the world’s population to the rapid spread of chronic diseases.
Another reason, indeed a positive reason that these numbers are increasing is also due to improvements in the methodologies used to diagnose and measure disabilities. This is especially true for invisible disabilities, many of which would have gone unnoticed and untreated even a few decades ago. The following are some invisible disabilities you should know about, especially regarding the immense impact on the lives of those who live with them.
1. Mental health disorders
You may not realize this, but a person living with mental health disorders is disabled. The World Report on Disability, in fact, states that those who experience mental health conditions such as anxiety disorders, depression, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, and even obsessive-compulsive disorder are more disadvantaged in many settings than those who experience physical disorders. or sensory impairments. These conditions are not only increasing among adults, but also affect children and adolescents. The WHO says that about 20 percent of the world’s children and adolescents have a mental health condition.
2. Chronic pain and fatigue
Those who suffer from chronic pain disorders like fibromyalgia not only have to suffer every day, but they are also woefully underdiagnosed, misunderstood, and under-treated. An article in Harvard Health Publishing notes that physicians often don’t take chronic pain without the presence of an injury or degenerative disease like arthritis seriously enough, and this should change with better training. On the other hand, it is recognized that people with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) have an invisible disability. This, as a study in BMC Psychiatry points out, is because CFS causes symptoms ranging from muscle pain and anxiety to cognitive and sleep disorders that combine to cause varying degrees of disability.
3. Traumatic brain injuries
While the disabling effects of traumatic spinal cord injuries or trauma to other parts of the body are readily visible, the effects of traumatic brain injuries (TBI), especially mild traumatic brain injuries, remain largely invisible until they develop into serious neurological or cognitive problems. A 2018 study published in Scientific reports shows that TBIs can cause memory, reasoning, and communication difficulties, adversely affect movement coordination, balance, eye function, social behavior, and can even cause long-term dementia and depression.
4. Neurological disorders
A study published in The Lancet Neurology in 2019 suggests that neurological and cognitive disorders are now recognized as one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide. Neurological disabilities include disorders ranging from epilepsy and cerebral palsy to Alzheimer’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Most of these disorders are chronic and progressive, meaning that not only do they last a lifetime, but they also get worse over time, leading to more and more disabilities as you age.
5. Intellectual and developmental disabilities
According to the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), intellectual and developmental disabilities are congenital, meaning they are present at birth and therefore last a lifetime and create significant problems for children from a very young age. These disabilities include autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and Down syndrome and can be just as devastating for parents and caregivers as they are for children. People with these disorders cannot function like others, which can also isolate and drive to mental health problems.
For more information, read our article on Helping Children with Disabilities.
The Health Articles on Firstpost are written by myUpchar.com, India’s first and largest resource for verified medical information. At myUpchar, researchers and journalists work with doctors to provide you with information on all things health.
