Pop singer Selena Gomez recently said she is taking a break from her world tour because of "anxiety, panic attacks and depression" attributed to lupus.
Although lupus patients often experience these mental health conditions, many do not realize that they are connected to the autoimmune disorder, as they are common symptoms, the Lupus Foundation of America (LFA) said.
Typically, health experts attribute the panic attacks, anxiety and depression to the emotional drain that many patients experience as they try to handle the stress of dealing with lupus and the complications of the illness, LFA said.
Many lupus patients have flare-ups and remissions of symptoms, so each day is unknown. This makes it normal to feel frustrated, unhappy, sad, or angry. Many patients grieve for the life that they lived before lupus was diagnosed. Fortunately, it is common for these feelings to subside as lupus patients learn how to adapt and adjust their lives to the disorder, LFA said.
For some patients, the negative feelings do not heal, and they develop clinical depression related to their lupus illness. An estimated 15 percent to 60 percent of those who live with a chronic illness will develop clinical depression. With lupus, it could be because of how the disorder physically changes the body, or it may be connected to certain medicines or other treatments, LFA said.
