Sickle Cell Disease in Teenagers Essay Example

Have you ever heard of sickle cell disease? Do you have any idea where it came from? Do you have any idea how long it will last? Well, Sickle Cell Disease is an inherited disease, passed down from both parents, each having the traits. It’s one of the rarest diseases. Healthy red blood cells are round, and they move through small blood vessels to carry oxygen to all parts of the body. In someone who has SCD, it is strangely shaped like a sickle tool. People who live in areas where malaria (a parasitic disease spread by the bite of infected mosquitoes) is or were prevalent are more likely to have sickle cell disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This disease was created in Africa to prevent malaria, but many people die from it every year. Sickle Cell Disease has negatively impacted the quality of life for teenagers living with this dreadful disease in one way or another. Some of these impacts are psychological, physical, and social.

Over the years, Sickle Cell Disease has negatively impacted the quality of life for teenagers living with this terrible disease. According to studies, the most common psychological problems encountered are increased anxiety, depression, social withdrawal, aggression, poor relationships, and poor academic performance (Treiber et al., 1987; Evans et al., 1988; Armstrong et al., 1993; Brown et al., 1993). For instance, some teenagers with sickle cell disease are Living in fear, wondering when the next attack will trigger their crisis, the fear of being too anxious or listening to music a little too loud, the fear of spending a lot of time in the sun or fatiguing themselves a little too much, the main reasons for their fearfulness is Because they all are contributed factors that triggers this dreadful disease. When these crisis occurs it sometime can be so unbearable for teenagers, some Having to be hospitalized for days, sometimes weeks or months, sometimes having to do blood transfusions, or having to do organ transplants for these reasons, some teenagers living with this crisis become depressed, anxious, fearful, and stressed out, feeling as though they are somewhat different from other teenagers. Some even reach the extent of wanting to take their own lives. Poor circulation, wheezing, drowsiness, yellow eyes, and chest pain are just a few of the symptoms that they encounter.

Sickle Cell Disease also negatively impacted teenager life in physical ways. Some of these are their growth & development, Puberty, yellowing of the skin & eyes aka Jaundice (which result from a rapid breakdown of red blood cells), swelling of hands & feet just to name a few. Robinson, 1999; Wilson et al, 2003 stated that teenager with SCD have smaller body structure making them look typically shorter & thinner than others, they are sensitivity to environmental changes such as heat and cold. Concerns like these sometimes take center stage in discussions about education and schooling. When policy and practice guidance is available, it usually informs instructors about the condition's potential physical impact on the teenager education (see Atkin and Ahmad, 2000). Teachers are encouraged, for example, to ensure that they are not exposed to the cold after swimming, that the teenager rests when fatigued, that physical activity is excused, or that a teenager is permitted to visit the toilet more frequently as compare to other teenager due to their need to drink enough of fluids (see Dooley and Perkins, 1998). Although potentially beneficial, such advice can convey a one-dimensional concern with SCD, emphasizing probable physical limitations and failing to recognize how teenagers might be embodied in various ways, within various systems of meaning, and positioned with differing degrees of social leverage (Turner, 1996). In effect, a teenager with SCD’s physical body gets essentialized in a similar way to the reification of their psychological experiences outlined previously.

 Sickle Cell Disease pain has been associated with increased utilization of health care service, decrease social activities, and increase frequencies of psychological distress in teenager (Gil et al. 1991). For instance, some teenagers who struggle with this dreadful life-threatening illness have to constantly miss out on social activities like school sports, parties, hanging out with their peers, etc. Aside from the devastating fact that their health gets in the way most of the time, making visits to the doctor, keeping up with their appointments and medications, they also have to deal with the fact of feeling insecure & having low self-esteem, Because some persons are quick to judge them, picking on them, calling them all sort of names some even contempt being next to them thinking that it is a contagious disease. Some of these sickle cell teenagers love to socialize party, have fun, travel, explore, name anything adventurous and want to take part in it but because of the constant pain crisis of sickle cell disease, it has impacted the social life.

Sickle cell disease has many psychological, physical & social impacts on teenagers which need to be address.  These impacts are caused mainly by the pain & symptoms the face & the view of society towards them. To help teenagers with these challenges, sickle cell disease should be taught in school, creating of programs & Camp to help teenagers better understand their illness & implementation of different ways on how to deal with sickle cell disease on a daily basis. These programs & camps can help others to share their experiences & know that they can live long & strong with sickle cell disease.