Understanding Hepatitis C Hep C and Your Emotions: How to Get Help

When you learn you have hepatitis C, you might feel a lot of things. Maybe you don’t want to believe it’s true. Maybe you feel depressed. Those are common reactions. Know that there are ways you can start to feel better, too.

If you're having trouble with the news, talk with your doctor. Ask them for referrals for where you can get emotional support.

“Different people are going to need different levels” of support, says Julie Nelligan, PhD, a psychologist in private practice in Portland, OR. She has counseled people with hep C. “Some get a lot from individual therapy. Others get a lot from group therapy.”

Here are some emotions you may have and ways to move forward.

Shame or Regret
You can get hep C for many reasons -- like a blood transfusion back in the days before blood was screened for the disease -- but many people got it from injecting illegal drugs years before.

In that case, “your past comes back to haunt you,” Nelligan says. “It can make people very angry and frustrated. They feel like they can't move on from the behavior they had when they were 20.”



A local support group might help. You’ll meet other people with the disease who may be dealing with the same emotions as you. Some hospitals offer these groups for people with hep C.

“They're an incredible value,” says hepatologist Andrew J. Muir, MD, an associate professor of medicine at Duke University Medical Center. “If it's something that's offered, I encourage people to do it.”

Nelligan used to run hepatitis C support groups. At the meetings people talk about their struggles and how they cope with them, she says.

You can find support groups online, too. The American Liver Foundation's Team Inspire web page connects people around the country for support.

Fear
You may worry that your spouse or partner will leave you. Some people fear what the future may hold.

William Yarbrough is a member of the American Liver Foundation's National Patient Advisory Committee. When he learned 14 years ago that he had the condition, he was afraid at first.

“My worry was not for me but for my family,” he says. “I didn't know how I would care for them. I was also worried about being treated.”

He says talking with his doctor helped.

“My hepatologist [liver doctor] was very forthcoming on what I could expect and calmed me down,” he says. “I realized I was not going to die in the near future from the virus. I also was able to talk about how I felt in a hepatitis C support group.”

Denial
Some people would rather just ignore their diagnosis.

“They could deny what it means -- that they have to go through treatment -- or that they're contagious,” Nelligan says. “If they aren't having health issues because of it, it's a lot easier to deny that this is a problem.”

It’s best to face your diagnosis head on, experts say. Getting treated is important. And you can also help any sexual partners you’ve had. How? Since hepatitis C is contagious it can spread from person to person. The risk of spreading it to sexual partners is quite low, but when you talk with them about your diagnosis, they too can get tested. Then they can get treatment if needed.

Guilt
Many people feel guilty that they may have given a loved one the disease before they knew they had it.

“That can be very troubling,” Muir says. “The best thing we can do is get the partner tested very quickly to find out.”

Then you can work from there.

Depression and Anxiety
People with hepatitis C tend to have higher rates of depression and anxiety than the general public, Muir says.

“Some [are depressed] from the knowledge that they have the disease, some from the medications for the disease,” says Michael Adams of Texas, a member of the American Liver Foundation's National Patient Advisory Committee. He started to take antidepressants when he began treatment for hep C.

“I’m still on them, and it has been amazing what I have gone through and still kept my wits about me,” he says. “It is my belief that anyone diagnosed with hepatitis C should be on at least a mild antidepressant so that depression does not set in and make life worse.”