September 10th to September 16 of 2007 is the National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week. It is a worldwide effort to bring people together who live with invisible chronic illnesses and those who love them. Organizations are encouraged to educate the general public, churches, health care professionals and government officials about the impact of living with a chronic illness that is not visually apparent.
Rest Ministries the sponsor of the week offers these statistics.
- 1 in 2 Americans (133 million) has a chronic condition
- 96% of them live with an illness that is invisible. These people do not use a cane or any assistive device and may look perfectly healthy.
- Sixty percent are between the ages of 18 and 64
- The divorce rate among the chronically ill is over 75%
- Depression is 15-20% higher for the chronically ill than for the average person
- Various studies have reported that physical illness or uncontrollable physical pain are major factors in up to 70% of suicides and more than 50% of these suicidal patients were under 35 years of age
Visit www.invisibleillness.com to find out more ranging from articles on 50 ways to encourage those with a chronic illness, sharing your story, learning about invisible illnesses, and learning how you can help spread the word. Further there are many workshops going on throughout the week that seem to be promising. Click here for the online conference schedule consisting of 20 workshops.
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