Invisible disability
2533526
222807873
2008-07-01T05:43:53Z
Calliopejen1
4045206
rm copyvio
'''Invisible Disabilities''' are disabilities that are not immediately apparent.
Some people with visual or auditory impairments who do not wear glasses or hearing aids may not be obviously impaired. (Some may wear contacts or have a [[cochlear implant]] instead.) A [[sitting disability]] is another category of invisible impairments. Sitting problems are usually caused by chronic [[back pain]]. Those with joint problems or chronic pain may not use [[mobility]] aids on good days, or at all. Other examples include [[Asperger syndrome]], [[attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder|attention disorders (ADD/ADHD)]], [[brain injury|brain injuries]], [[chronic pain]], [[chronic fatigue syndrome]], chemical sensitivities, [[fibromyalgia]], [[epilepsy]], and [[repetitive strain injury|repetitive stress injuries]].
Invisible disabilities can also include [[chronic illness]]es such as [[renal failure]] and [[diabetes]] if those diseases significantly impair normal activities of daily living.
==Examples==
===Autoimmune disabilities===
* [[Scleroderma]]
* [[Chronic fatigue syndrome]]
* [[Fibromyalgia]]
* [[Rheumatoid arthritis]]
* [[Crohn's disease]]
* [[Primary immunodeficiency]]
* [[Lupus]]
* [[Sjögren's syndrome]]
* [[Interstitial cystitis]]
===Chronic pain disabilities===
* [[Injuries]]
* [[Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy]]
* [[Arachnoiditis]]
* [[Temporomandibular joint disorder]]
===Dietary disabilities===
* [[Coeliac Disease]]
* [[Diabetes]]
* [[Fructose malabsorption]]
* [[Hypoglycemia]]
* [[Inflammatory bowel disease]]
* [[Metabolic syndrome]]
* [[Lactose Intolerance]]
* [[Lactulose|Lactulose Intolerance]]
* [[Fructose intolerance|Hereditary Fructose Intolerance]]
* [[Irritable Bowel Syndrome]]
* [[Food allergy|Food allergies]] (the most common are peanut, milk, egg, tree nut, fish, shellfish, soy, and wheat)
* [[Ulcerative Colitis]]
===Neurological disabilities===
* [[Multiple Sclerosis]]
* [[Transverse Myelitis]]
* [[Lyme Disease]]
* [[Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease]]
* [[Hyperhidrosis]]
* [[Autism]]
* [[Asperger Syndrome]]
* [[Epilepsy]]
===Psychiatric disabilities===
People with psychiatric disabilities make up a large segment of the invisibly-disabled population covered under the [[Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990]]. Examples include:
*[[Major depression]]
*[[Bipolar disorder]]
*[[Anxiety disorders]]
*[[Schizophrenia]]
*[[Personality disorders]] (when discussing mental impairments)
===Disputed disabilities===
* ''[[Multiple chemical sensitivity]],'' or environmental illness. It is a reaction to primarily scented substances, but not a true allergy. Most of its critics believe that most cases represent a type of [[anxiety disorder]] or [[somatoform disorder]], although different sufferers may have different underlying causes. Its few supporters believe that it is caused by the body's inability to tolerate synthetic substances.
* ''[[Electrical sensitivity]],'' sometimes also called electrosensitivity or electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS). In this condition, the sufferer reports that physical and/or psychological [[symptom]]s are aggravated by [[electromagnetic fields]] or other electromagnetic phenomena at exposure levels tolerated by the general public. Critics have stated that it is most likely a [[psychosomatic illness]].<ref name=rubinReview>{{cite journal
| last = Rubin
| first = James
| coauthors = J Das Munshi J, Simon Wessely
| title = Electromagnetic hypersensitivity: a systematic review of provocation studies
| journal = Psychosom Med 2005 Mar-Apr;67(2):224-32
| volume = 67
| issue = 2
| pages = 224–32
|date=March-April 2005
| url = http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15784787
| accessdate =2008-05-08 }}</ref> There are no large and well conducted studies supporting the claimed role of electromagnetic emissions in producing the reported symptoms.<ref name=rubinReview/> Lobby and support groups of those reporting electrical sensitivity frequently draw a distinction between the merely ''EMF anxious'' and the truly ''EMF sensitive'', and generally believe that electrical sensitivity is rare.<ref name="urlElectromagnetic Field (EMF) Protection for the Electrically Sensitive (ES)">{{cite web |url=http://www.ctaz.com/~bhima/emf.htm |title=Electromagnetic Field (EMF) Protection for the Electrically Sensitive (ES) |format= |work= |accessdate=2008-05-08}}</ref>
==Prevalence statistics==
About 10% of Americans have a condition which could be considered an invisible disability.
* Nearly one in two Americans (133 million) has a chronic condition of one kind or another.<ref>Chronic Care in America: A 21st Century Challenge, a study of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation & Partnership for Solutions: Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (September 2004 Update). "Chronic Conditions: Making the Case for Ongoing Care"</ref> According to this report, the most common chronic conditions are [[hypertension|high blood pressure]], [[arthritis]], respiratory diseases like [[emphysema]], and [[hypercholesterolemia|high cholesterol]].
* That number is projected to increase by more than one percent per year by 2030, resulting in an estimated chronically ill population of 171 million.<ref>ibid</ref>
* 96% of them live with an illness that is invisible. These people do not use a cane or any assistive device and may look, act, and feel perfectly healthy.<ref>2002 US Census Bureau</ref>
* 25% of people in the U.S. with a chronic condition have some type of activity limitation; the remaining 75% are not disabled by their chronic conditions.[http://www.rwjf.org/files/research/Chronic%20Conditions%20Chartbook%209-2004.ppt]
* 60% are between the ages of 18 and 64.<ref>ibid</ref>
* 90% of seniors have at least one chronic disease and 77% have two or more chronic diseases.<ref>The Growing Burden of Chronic Disease in American, Public Health Reports / May–June 2004 / Volume 119, Gerard Anderson, PhD</ref>
==Legal protection==
Whereas with a visible disability people may be too willing to "help" or interfere, those with invisible disabilities must seek out any help or risk going without assistance. However, those with invisible disabilities are still protected by national and local disability laws, such as the [[Americans with Disabilities Act]].
Persons with some kinds of invisible disabilities, such as [[chronic pain]], may be accused of faking or imagining their disabilities. People can also misunderstand and sometimes mistake illness or impairment as something else. For instance, one might feel animosity towards a person who takes a lift/elevator up one floor, by assuming they are lazy, without realizing that the person has an nonobvious disability which makes it difficult for them to climb stairs (such as a knee problem or lack of depth perception).
==External resources==
*[http://www.invisibleillness.com National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week]
*[http://www.ButYouLOOKGood.com ''But You LOOK Good!'' (Booklet to help people understand IDs)]
http://www.direct.gov.uk/disability - UK govt information
*[http://www.mychronicillness.com/comfortzone/item2.htm Why Can't I Make People Understand? Discovering the validation those with chronic illness seek and why (Book, by Lisa Copen)]
*[http://www.MyIDA.org The Invisible Disabilities Advocate]
*[http://www.CleanerIndoorAir.org The Cleaner Indoor Air Campaign (MCS)]
*[http://www.mychronicillness.com/comfortzone/item3.htm Beyond Casseroles: 505 Ways to Encourage a Chronically Ill Friend (Book, by Lisa Copen)]
*Carol Sveilich. ''Just Fine: Unmasking Concealed Chronic Illness and Pain.'' ISBN 0970015046
*[http://ciin.org Chemical Injury Information Network and its monthly magazine, Our Toxic Times]
==See also==
*[[Equal Employment Opportunity Commission]]
*[[Disability]]
*[[Disability etiquette]]
==References==
===Footnotes===
<references/>
===General references===
* Switzer, Jacqueline Vaughn. ''Disabled Rights: American Disability Policy and the Fight for Equality.'' Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press, 2003.
[[Category:Disability]]
[[sv:Osynligt handikapp]]