What are the special needs of chronically ill young people?

Although significant advances have been made in the treatment of serious disease, there remains much scope for assisting young people in adjusting to life with a chronic medical condition. Commonly, chronically ill young people experience lower emotional well being than their healthy peers. Conventional approaches to promoting emotional well being have involved referring young people and their families to an appropriate public mental health service or psychologist/psychiatrist in private practice. However, there is increasing interest in the use of peer support programs. Support groups such as the ChIPS program aim to promote positive adjustment to chronic illness by bring together young people facing similar circumstances. It is maintained that by increasing connections between chronically ill young people, emotional well being can be enhanced.