<- this user believes mental illness can be a chronic illness and excluding people suffering with mental illness from conversations about chronic illness, and/or telling people suffering from mental illness they are not allowed to refer to themselves as chronically ill, is incorrect and ableist (accessliving.org page on ableism).
this user believes as such because mental illness can make you (examples included but not limited to)
make you unable to get out of bed or maintain hygiene, personal or household
unable to eat due to a medley of reasons including but not exclusive to executive dysfunction, nausea, and will to live.
can increase pain levels esp w/a pre-existing injury
chronic fatigue and chronic pain can require mobility aids
can trigger chronic headaches
make you pass out/develop tremors/seizures/etc
make you 'unemployable' because it can require accommodations
make you 'unemployable' because it's a barrier to obtaining an education
make you unable to hold a job because it can get that bad
can damage organs depending on severity and presentation
can kill you through a medley of ways and shortens lifespan
is quite often, well, chronic
can go through periods of flares and remission, and if you overdo it while you're in remission you can trigger a flare
can be made worse by the weather, barometric pressure, etc
and requires often life long treatment that can also do all of the above
In many countries, mental illness meeting specific thresh holds become legal disabilities (UN list of disability laws by country). The definition of illness covers sickness of body and mind, as well as disease. Mental illnesses are considered and covered by the WHO's International Classification of Diseases, which codifies it as a disorder, but still covers it. In at minimum the USA alone, a chronic illness legally defines a chronically ill person as, in brief (long here)
Unable to fulfill at least two activities of daily living (bathing, eating, toileting, dressing) for at least 90 days.
Have a level of disability that is similar to the above criteria.
Require substantial supervision and assistance in order to protect themselves against health and safety threats because of physical or cognitive impairment.
which can happen in mental illness.
Not all countries use 'chronic illness' as a legal term. 'Chronic disease', which includes things like stroke, heart disease, diabetes, some forms of arthritis, etc appears to be more prevalent. If a person is calling a mental illness a chronic disease, they might therefore be incorrect. However, for the purpose of 'chronic illness' entering non-legal, casual vernacular, I therefore think it fits present definitions enough to suit.
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) <- some sources in no particular order
unless the above facts change, my mind is not likely to be changed.
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