Featuring panelists Sarah E. Kucharski, Mark Freeman, Danielle Edges, and Allison Ferlito.

Mental health and chronic disease management are often interwoven topics in science. But what about the human side of the story? Whether or not individuals meet the diagnostic criteria for mental diagnoses, we all long for optimal mental and physical health to attain good quality of life.

How do we put a personal face to the feelings that hypoglycemia, or chronic pain, or other physical health struggles invoke in terms of our emotions? What moments have changed the way we think about mental health and chronic disease, and how can we encourage these same poignant healthcare interactions in the lives of others?

This panel explores just how vital this conversation is in chronic disease and mental health management by featuring multifaceted patient, caregiver, and mental health advocate perspectives. In order to facilitate this conversation for all patients, we must raise the topic from the very source: ePatients themselves. Therefore, this panel is ePatient-centric in its selection of presenters. We will identify crucial learning moments in understanding our own mental health, while promoting a transparent discussion that remains much-needed in humanizing healthcare.

Ah-Ha! moments relevant to the following topics will be discussed:
– Why the words we use matter so much
– Barriers to care
– Continuum of “before, during, and after” mental health becomes a focus of care management; early intervention in normalizing this conversation
– Caregiver resources and how to talk to children/teens about difficult health topics
– Managing multiple diagnoses
– Curtailing advocacy “burnout”
– The panel would also be open to answering audience questions, time-permitting.
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