![A walled garden in spring rain, with a lavender armchair sheltered inside an open-fronted glasshouse](https://viacara.com/img/content/chronic-illness-feature-light.webp) # Chronic Illness and Long-Term Conditions A long-term condition is hard on your mind as well as your body. Find a professional who works with the emotional side, alongside your medical team. You manage your condition every day, and little of it shows. The appointments, the pacing, the plans you cancel and the energy you ration. It is tiring in a way that is hard to explain to people who are well. A long-term condition is one that cannot be cured but can be managed. More than 15m people in England live with at least one. The strain on your mood is real, and it is something a professional can help with. Source: [Naylor et al. 2012](https://viacara.com/support/chronic-illness/#ref-4) ## What we are and what we are *not* We help you find a professional who works with the emotional and psychological side of living with illness. That support runs alongside your GP, your consultant and any treatment you are on. It never replaces them. We do not diagnose, and we do not give medical advice. Questions about your condition, your symptoms or your medication belong with your medical team. The professional you find here helps you carry the rest. ## How it can *feel* The NHS names the emotional effects that often come with a physical illness: - Stress, worry or anxiety, especially around appointments and test results - Low self-esteem, or the sting of stigma and being treated differently - Loneliness, sometimes after long stays in hospital or long spells at home - Anger, frustration or grief when illness stops you doing what you used to - Sleep problems, driven by pain, sickness or the side effects of treatment About a third of people with a long-term condition also live with a mental health condition. The NHS lists a longstanding illness, including one that causes long-term pain, as something that raises the risk of depression. None of that means you are failing to cope. It means you are carrying two loads at once, and the second one deserves care too. Sources: [NHS: physical illness](https://viacara.com/support/chronic-illness/#ref-2), [NHS England: long term conditions](https://viacara.com/support/chronic-illness/#ref-1), [NHS: depression causes](https://viacara.com/support/chronic-illness/#ref-3) ## *Grief* for the life you had Many people describe a loss that nobody sent a card for. The job you left, the sport you stopped, the plans that no longer fit your body. Some grieve the person they were before the diagnosis. That grief is real, and it can arrive years after the diagnosis. Our [grief page](https://viacara.com/support/grief/) covers loss of health alongside other losses. A professional who works with chronic illness will know the shape of it. ![The view from inside the glasshouse, the rain easing and low sun on the wet paths](https://viacara.com/img/content/chronic-illness-mid-light.webp) The garden still grows on the days you cannot go out to it ## When the *pain* is not believed Long-term pain wears at your mood, your sleep and your patience. Many people find pain drags their mood down, and low mood then makes the pain harder to bear. Many people also carry the weight of not being believed. Tests come back clear, and the pain does not. A professional will take your pain as real from the first session, because it is. ## *Fear* of appointments and results Some people find the medical side itself becomes the hardest part. A scan, a blood test or a waiting room can set off a fear that lasts for days. Some start to avoid the care they need. That fear responds to therapy. Our [anxiety page](https://viacara.com/support/anxiety/) covers the wider picture. A professional can work with you on the specific dread, so appointments stop costing you the week around them. ## What talking therapy can do NHS England says people with a long-term condition should have the same access to recommended talking therapies as anyone else. Its Talking Therapies services run a pathway for exactly this, so ask your GP about it. [Cognitive behavioural therapy](https://viacara.com/approaches/cbt/), or CBT, works on the thoughts that turn a symptom into a spiral. A flare becomes "I will never manage anything again", and the fear makes the flare harder to sit through. Therapy works on that link. Some people need less structure and more room. A [person-centred](https://viacara.com/approaches/person-centred/) counsellor gives you space to talk about who you are now, at your own pace. Both are talking therapies, and a first session helps you tell which one fits. Source: [NHS England: long term conditions](https://viacara.com/support/chronic-illness/#ref-1) ## Who to *look* for Look for a professional who names chronic illness, long-term conditions or health conditions in their profile. Ask how they work around fatigue and flare-ups, and whether they offer online sessions. A bad week should not cost you the session. Bring the whole picture. Work, money, relationships and the way people around you have changed often land at the same time. A good professional will not ask you to pick one. Many people put this off for years. The illness felt like the only thing they were allowed to need help with. It is not. Thanks for your interest. We're not taking on new clients at the moment. ## Ready to find support for life with a long-term *condition*? We ask what matters to you, then find professionals who fit. Leave your email and we'll let you know as soon as we're ready for you. This conversation helps us find you the right support. What you share helps us understand what you're looking for and find someone who fits. Your email keeps you updated on what's happening next and isn't shared with anyone we introduce you to. [Privacy policy](https://viacara.com/privacy) [Terms of service](https://viacara.com/terms) ## References 1. NHS England (2026). *NHS Talking Therapies: long term conditions and medically unexplained symptoms*. [Link](https://www.england.nhs.uk/mental-health/adults/nhs-talking-therapies/mus/) 2. National Health Service, Every Mind Matters (2026). *Mental health and physical illness*. [Link](https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/lifes-challenges/health-issues/) 3. National Health Service (2023). *Causes of depression in adults*. [Link](https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/depression-in-adults/causes/) 4. Naylor, C., Parsonage, M., McDaid, D., Knapp, M., Fossey, M. & Galea, A. (2012). *Long-term conditions and mental health: the cost of co-morbidities*. The King's Fund and Centre for Mental Health. [Link](https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/insight-and-analysis/reports/long-term-conditions-mental-health-cost-co-morbidities) ## Related ### [Grief Counselling](https://viacara.com/support/grief/) Grief has no timeline. Find a counsellor who can sit with you while you find your way through loss, in your own time and on your own terms. ### [Understanding Anxiety](https://viacara.com/support/anxiety/) Learn about anxiety, its symptoms and how therapy can help. Find the right practitioner for anxiety support. ### [Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)](https://viacara.com/approaches/cbt/) Learn how CBT works, what happens in sessions and what NICE says about it, and read about its forms for sleep, pain and self-help. ### [Person-Centred Therapy](https://viacara.com/approaches/person-centred/) Learn how person-centred therapy works, what sessions look like and why the relationship with your therapist matters most. ### [Finding the Right Practitioner](https://viacara.com/guides/finding-a-practitioner/) A practical guide to finding a mental health practitioner who fits your needs, preferences and budget. ### [Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)](https://viacara.com/approaches/acceptance-and-commitment-therapy/) Learn how acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) works, what NICE says about it for long-term pain and what research shows for anxiety and low mood. ### [Sleep Problems and Insomnia](https://viacara.com/support/sleep/) Insomnia is thought to affect around 1 in 3 people in the UK. Find a professional who works with sleep and with what keeps you awake.