You've been diagnosed with arthritis and, whether you were expecting it or not, it's devastating. Learning you have a chronic (long term) illness of any sort has the potential to send your emotions into a spiral of anger and depression.

Many arthritis experts say that a classic symptom that accompanies arthritis is depression, which may manifest itself as feelings of helplessness and being alone, feelings of a lack of meaning in life, mood swings, problems sleeping and lack of appetite.

The depression that many of those newly diagnosed with arthritis feel may be associated with the sense of losing the future that they had been planning and the realisation that life plans may now have to be changed.

It is fairly common for those diagnosed with osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis to fear the future, for example, having to face up to life with some level of disability and imagining how that may impact upon family life or career.

In some cases, people who have been newly diagnosed may have a fear of the medications they have to take and what impact they will have on their lives.

Every long-term illness involves loss: in the case of arthritis, the loss of activities we once enjoyed, or our self-image. We often feel we are who we are because of the things we do and can do. This image of ourselves now has to change and, often, we don't know to what, or how to go about it.

Many people find that talking to someone who has been through similar fears and has similar experience with arthritis can help. Local arthritis support groups may be able to help.

Tips for fighting depression

• Give yourself time to understand that feelings of depression and loss are a natural process, but don't get stuck there. Be honest with your feelings, and if you need help, ask. 
• Try not to feel sorry for yourself: fight it! The emotional ups and downs are part of your condition. It's sometimes easier to give in to depression, but stay positive. 
• If thinking about the future makes you unhappy, then don't think that far ahead. Sometimes focusing on the here and now will get you through.
  Positive tips for living with arthritis
• Learn all you can about your condition; it will help you regain a sense of control over your arthritis. 
• Learn to accept your limitations. There are naturally going to be some activities that you can't do any more, but focus on those that you can, or find some new ones. 
• Allow yourself to feel tired. This doesn't mean you should feel guilty about the things you haven't done, or can't do. When you need to rest, rest. 
• Try to eat well, avoid stress and, above all, talk to people - your doctor, therapist, friends - or join an arthritis support group. Young people with arthritis, in particular, need to know that it is not just an 'old person's disease'.

There is light at the end of the tunnel, many thousands of people with arthritis have travelled that road and many even believe that their lives are better. Don't forget that there are resources out there for you to lean on, such as Arthritis New Zealand and your doctor, and don't be afraid, or too proud, to ask for help.

Control over your arthritis

Understanding osteoarthritis is the first step to developing 'a coping attitude' and regaining control of your arthritis and your life.

Osteoarthritis pain deters many people from putting weight on or using that joint or limb, partly because they believe they may be causing more damage, which is most often untrue. Regular exercise works in a number of ways.

• Weightbearing or resistance exercise strengthens the muscles around the joint, which stabilises the joint.
• Aerobic exercise (exercise that gets you breathing hard) lessens the impact of long-term pain by increasing tolerance.
• Exercise helps improve sleep (and regular poor sleep is known to increase the sensation of pain).
• Exercise helps with weight loss, and even a moderate 5% weight loss can make a big difference to an arthritic lower limb.

A controlled programme of regular exercise, planned with your individual needs in mind, has an established role in managing osteoarthritis pain, and it is frequently overlooked. The more severe the pain, the more important exercise and other non-pharmacological treatments become. Talk to your doctor or contact Arthritis New Zealand about available exercise programmes to help control arthritis pain.

While too little emphasis is sometimes given to exercise, pain relief medication still has an important role in controlling pain. Achieving good pain relief by correctly using the appropriate pain medication(s) allows you to take part in exercise and activities that will impove your fitness, wellbeing and tolerance of pain. Small improvements in pain relief and function of the affected joint(s) are important steps in gaining control of arthritis. Achieving this 'sense of gaining control' can, in turn, reduce the chances of suffering depression, which itself will magnify the sense of pain.

This article is based on an article published in myDr. Reviewed by everybody, September 2006.