Skip to 0 minutes and 9 seconds Long-term conditions like diabetes and heart disease can impact our mental health just as much as our physical health, but very often, the emotional consequences of physical illness are ignored or neglected. To help people with health problems live well, we need support and care for the whole person. We need to integrate care so that people’s mental and physical needs are treated as one. We all know people with health problems, and we all experience illness in our lifetimes. So this course is for everyone– patients, and their family and friends, health care professionals, students, anyone interested in the overlap of mental and physical health.
Skip to 0 minutes and 50 seconds The best way to understand why integrating mental and physical healthcare is so important is to hear from people living with chronic conditions day to day. We’re going to meet Zac, who as a patient and a medical student, sees the problems from both angles. Zac will lead us on our journey, interviewing clinical and academic experts to understand why and how mental and physical illness overlap. We’ll learn about the nature of depression and anxiety, and how these conditions affect people living with chronic illnesses. We’ll hear from patients who’ve had first hand experience of depression or anxiety, and unique insight into how best to support people who are struggling with the emotional impact of illness.
Skip to 1 minute and 33 seconds We’ll also follow Dave, a fictional character, as he navigates life with depression and diabetes, and interacts with colleagues and clinicians. We’ll look at how to open up conversations about emotional distress, the symptoms and signs look out for and the treatment options available. We’ll discover how depression and anxiety are managed in general, and hospital settings, and learn from the doctors, nurses and mental health professionals working to integrate care and build a better healthcare system. My name is Matthew Hotopf. I’m a psychiatrist and a professor at King’s College London, and one of the tutors on this course. Join us over the next three weeks as we discover how the mind and body interact to shape our experience of illness.
