Since it is Mental Health Awareness Week, we thought it would be a good time to talk about how having chronic kidney disease can affect your mental health.
My name is Chris and I am one of the patient experts on CKDExplained. I am also a mental health first-aider at my workplace and training to a counsellor. Mental health is something I am very passionate about.
In this article I am going to talk about ways you can look after your mental health, as well as my own experiences suffering with it.
If you suffer from chronic kidney disease it can, unfortunately, affect your mental health. In your kidney journey – including dialysis and/or a transplant, many appointments, and other complications – you will go through a wide range of emotions. And that is totally fine and understandable. You may feel upset or angry, and think “Why me?” It is something that a lot of sufferers feel.
Here are some stats about mental health and how many kidney patients it affects:
- 67% experience symptoms of depression
- 36% can’t fully take care of their physical health due to mental health problems
- 27% have considered self harm or suicide.
So, what’s the best way to manage if you are suffering with your mental health? There are many different things you can do from simply taking a walk to get fresh air and clear your head, talking to friends or family, asking for support from your Renal Unit, getting medication, to getting therapy.
The most important thing to remember in all of this is you are not alone! Please always reach out to people – don’t suffer in silence. Your friends and family would much rather you speak to them about how you are feeling; rather than attending your funeral because you felt that was your only way out.
Now to my experiences with mental health. For many years I was quite strong regarding my mental health, but I think when the pandemic struck is when it really hit me. I am a very outgoing person. So to be stuck indoors and away from talking to people on a constant basis (my wife is a key worker, so was still out working all the time) wasn’t good for me.
That’s when I started to worry more about my health, and ironically, my kidney function started to decline. I found myself emotional, closed off, and not really wanting to do much at all. It was only after I opened up to my wife, friends and family that I really started to feel a bit better. It honestly felt like a massive weight off my shoulders to be able to talk to my loved ones.
Although talking to friends and family helped, I felt that I needed some extra help as I knew I wasn’t myself. Luckily, through my work, I was offered professional counselling, and so I reached out to them. Once I started talking out about it all, it was like opening a stress container in my brain! I found it helped so much, and I ended up having sessions for a few months.
Fast forward to today. I am feeling a lot stronger in myself, but still have those days where all my emotions take over. What I feel helps me now, is talking things through, as well as walking. I walk at least a couple of miles a day and this really helps to clear my head. I am also lucky to have a supportive company I work for; so if I am ever struggling, I can talk to my manager about it.
As I said above, please don’t ever feel alone, speak up, speak out, and keep fighting.
Where to get help:
- Your GP
- Look online: there will be a free counselling service you can self-refer to in your area
- Ask if your renal unit has a specialist renal psychologist
- Kidney Care UK, one of the two main UK kidney charities, has a team of advocates who can offer support to you and/or your family and a specialist team of counsellors.
If you do ever have suicidal thoughts, the following services can help you:
- The Samaritans 116 123
- NHS 111 (say you need mental health support)
- 999 (ask for the crisis team).
Last Reviewed on 16 May 2024