Emotional problems in cystic fibrosis.

The emotional distress associated with cystic fibrosis is considerable. From the moment 
of diagnosis, delayed or not, the parents' problems multiply and for 
the most part these problems are at first only vaguely comprehended. 
Many parents embark on the long haul of caring for their 
child in almost total ignorance of the disease and its implications. 
The fact that the disease is inherited is of outstanding importance 
to the parents. The basis of genetic counseling in the disease 
is the explanation of recessive inheritance. Even when genetic counseling has 
been given effectively and the parents have decided to have no 
further children, the family planning problem is not yet solved. The 
physiotherapist is also necessarily concerned with the emotional state and behaviour 
of the child. Except in the latest stages of this disease 
the child's emotional distress is not directly related to the discomfort 
of his symptoms. Over-protection by parents is understandable but it is 
important to persuade them that it is undesirable. Perhaps the most 
difficult questions of protection arise in relation to the child's knowledge 
of his own disorder. Cystic fibrosis is a miserable disease and 
the cause of much distress, emotional and otherwise. 