Thanks to Kendra at Diabetes Notes and Laura at CFS Squared for the tip off on National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week this week.
What’s an invisible chronic illness? Anything that people won’t know you have just by looking at you. Examples include…

Mental illness
Eating disorders
Endometriosis
Diabetes
Arthritis
Chronic pain
Heart disease
Autism
Migraines
Cancer
Multiple sclerosis
Chronic fatigue syndrome
and anything else you just can’t see

Check out this video for more info, and be sure to visit the site.

Find more videos like this on Illness-Disability-Healthcare-Caregiver Ministry NetworkContents © Copyright 2007 Kristen King

Last night I stumbled across a 2006 article called “Anorexics Denied Insurance Coverage: Insurance Companies Stop Coverage And Cost Lives” on CBSnews.com, and I was astonished to read about a situation in which an anorexia patient’s insurance company withdrew coverage during her treatment.
I decided to do a little research and see if anything came up more recently on this very topic, and here’s what I found:

“Illness a costly burden: Insurance falls short for eating disorders” from the Chicago Tribune
“Insurers’ Refusal To Cover Eating Disorders Prompts Lawsuits” from Psychiatric News
“Treating anorexia: the question of insurance” from The Seattle Times
“Anorexia Patients Denied …read more

The cover of the current issue of In Touch Weekly caught my eye last night, and I just had to pick it up even though I’m not usually someone who reads stuff like that. Just look at Nicole Richie! She looks positively ill. No wonder the cancer rumors have started circulating… (Interestingly, there are also some pregnancy rumors going around!)
Courtesy of TheSkinnyWebsite.com, you can see the spread and read about Angelina Jolie’s shocking weight loss, as well.
Although Nicole, Angelina, and other celebs like Lindsay Lohan and Mary-Kate Olsen have become the poster children for skinny celebrities, there are …read more

It’s another theme day at b5media, and this month is all about mental health. Check out the round-up of posts over at Alzheimer’s Notes with Mary Emma Allen and Liz Lewis.
Particularly in the United States, where mental illness is often seen as a sign of weakness and self-medication (with alcohol, drugs, and even over-committed lifestyles) is common, many women are living their lives with undiagnosed psychological and emotional illnesses that are completely treatable.
According to the National Institutes of Mental Health, there are seven categories of mental disorder that are particularly common in women:

Anxiety Disorders, including OCD, panic, PTSD, social …read more