Suffering from any illness is daunting. It often affects more people beyond the patient who is diagnosed with a particular illness or condition.
Scenarios of sickness come onto us quickly and unexpectedly but they often leave a lasting impact, one that can last years, if not for the rest of one’s life.
There are those illnesses which are evident when seen from the outside looking in, taking a physical toll on the body. But there are many other conditions and illnesses, including mental health conditions, that work in silence.
These hidden diseases may not leave a visible impact but there is no denying that they can be just as deadly, subjecting the person to increased anxiety and pain because the suffering is done in silence and often alone.
I firmly believe that, even though these diseases are hidden, we should offer the same amount of help to patients trying to tackle them. We must make sure that all patients live a more peaceful life, with all the resources required to treat their conditions.
I recently had the honour to be elected chairman of the European Alliance Brain, Mind and Pain. The alliance brings together 31 European associations that work for the rights of patients suffering from chronic pain. It also incorporates the European Federation of Neurological Associations, which represents, among others, professionals and patients with conditions relating to brain health.
Eight out of 10 patients who suffer from a neurological disease in Europe do not get the treatment they require- Alex Agius Saliba
Brain, Mind and Pain represents 220 million people suffering from neurological disorders and a further 150 million chronic pain sufferers.
As chairman, I will have the opportunity to continue to be a voice in favour of patients who suffer in silence from conditions such as ADHD, epilepsy, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), Parkinson’s disease and Huntington’s disease, among others.
Nowadays, treatment is available for these individuals that can make their life easier and their condition more manageable. Even though that sounds like a positive step forward, unfortunately, we live in a situation where eight out of 10 patients who suffer from a neurological disease in Europe do not get the treatment they require.
Apart from the individual suffering of the patients and the impact on their quality of life, these situations also have a direct effect on countries’ economies: neurological disorders have an economic impact of €800 billion every year, which translates to around six per cent of Europe’s gross domestic product.
As an alliance, our top priority will be to pursue current efforts to combat the continuing stigma in relation to these conditions, which, unfortunately, exists in most countries. These individuals should not be stigmatised but given all the resources they need to live a healthy life.
That is why we will continue working towards adequate access to treatment, support and research in every member state. This is an issue for all the member states and we will make sure to treat it as such.
On a European basis, there needs to be more synergy when it comes to forming a common health policy in order to better understand the difficulties experienced by patients so that, ultimately, better solutions can be found to tackle these difficulties more effectively.
For too long, we have left these patients suffering on their own but we will work hard to ensure that this does not happen anymore.
As chairman of Brain, Mind and Pain, I will ensure that I build on my own work to give a voice to those who are suffering in silence.
We must send a clear signal that we are on the side of these patients who deserve to get all the treatment and resources they need to live as healthy and as comfortable a life as possible.