So, lack of understanding can be a major source of patient anxiety. An individual who always considered him or herself to be selfsufficient and independent may suddenly, because of chronic disease, become very dependent on other people around them. The necessity for such adjustments may place an added strain on the family relationships. Marriages which had been barely surviving may even be stretched to the breaking point. Thus, it is not only the insecurity of dependency, but also the fear of loss of love and approval which are major sources of insecurities to the chronically ill patient.
Patients also find themselves seeing the physician more frequently and for more serious problems.
Sometimes the patient finds him or herself caught in the middle between the differing opinions of various medical specialists. While the physicians may see their differences as only minor, the patient understandably views them in quite a different light. Other people on whom the chronically ill patient suddenly becomes dependent includes strangers such as new physicians, physical therapists, nurses, ambulance drivers, and insurance adjusters. With continued illness, proud and hardworking people are sometimes driven to dependence on government subsidies and charity which certainly would be seen as a major source of insecurity and frustration for them. It is a common belief among many peoples of the world that prosperity and good health are favors bestowed on good people, while illness and poverty are the results of sin or mismanagement.