November: Chronic Illness

It’s a new month, and our theme is looking at the effects that chronic illness and chronic pain can have on our mental health.

A chronic or long-term illness means having to adjust to the demands of the illness and the therapy used to treat the condition. Being chronically ill comes with further stress, due to the fact it may change the way you live, see yourself and relate to others.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, people with other chronic medical conditions are at higher risk of depression, and people with depression are at higher risk for other medical conditions such as diabetes, stroke, and Alheimer’s disease.

Having a long-term condition that affects you physically can lead to feelings of loneliness, fatigue and pressure from any stigma, especially for more “invisible” conditions. So, what resources are available to those who are chronically ill, and need support?

Getting support

For many long term conditions, there will be organisations offering information and local resources specific to you and your condition. For example, Macmillan Cancer offer support systems and online communities to those going through a similar experience.

Your GP or community centre may also have links to local support networks to you that you are able to access.

Online communities including our Discord server offer peer support for those looking to connect with other people, and a place to talk about mental health (please note we are not professionals, and can only signpost, but instead offer a stigma-free space to chat to other like-minded gamers.)

If you need support in relation to your mental health you can access our list of crisis helplines.

WHAT WILL YOU SEE FROM SAFE IN OUR WORLD THIS MONTH?

We have a lot planned including our monthly panel with special guests, streams, game highlights, articles and more. Let’s take a look:

November 3rd 7pm GMT – Streaming Child of Light with Ubisoft on our Twitch Channel.

November 11th 2pm GMT – ‘Insights from people with lived experience of chronic illness’ on our Twitch Channel.

An article on how VR games can be used to manage pain

We’ll be looking at how games can connect chronically ill people at home, as well as personal experiences of mental health and chronic illness.

A handful of games spotlights on games portraying chronic illness

Plus ongoing conversations in our Discord, on our social media and website.

Stay tuned for our brand new content, support and conversations around this month’s topic, and stay safe everyone