Turner’s Syndrome and mental health by Hayley Watson

In our modern day and age the issue of mental health has come more the forefront. As we fight to eliminate the stigma surrounding it more and more discussions are opening. It’s important that we remain able to talk about mental health. It is just as important as physical health. With the huge amount of support, resources and advice it caused me to think of Turner’s Syndrome women and their struggles with mental health specifically.

Studies have shown that TS adolescents are at higher risk of depression. Reasons for this could include physical symptoms such as webbed neck, sheild chest and short stature causing esteem issues and problems with self perception. It is also common to see an increased prevalence of depression in populations with a chronic condition.

We all have our own experiences but from my own point of view constant health check ups, health issues, concerns and drawbacks can be draining. Given Non Verbal Learning Disorder can be common too in TS patients it’s difficult to process these stresses and thus deal with the emotions they raise. The TS community is a welcoming and supportive space but dealing with TS can mean finding difficulty in connecting with others. This social isolation may also play a role in mental health issues.

However, when all is said and done, TS patients are some of the strongest, tenatious people you could ever hope to meet and with the rise of available support in mental health this new challenge can be met with the same perseverance every other issue TS has to offer is.

If you find yourself struggling with mental health please do reach out. There is support available and those who would to help you through.

Sources:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7035188/