Living with an autoimmune disease can feel like walking through life carrying an invisible weight. On some days, the fatigue, pain, or brain fog might be so intense that even small daily tasks feel overwhelming. On other days, you may look “fine” on the outside but feel like you’re waging a private battle on the inside. What many people don’t realize is that autoimmune diseases don’t just affect the body—they also deeply affect mental health.
If you’ve ever felt anxious, depressed, or emotionally drained while managing an autoimmune condition, you are far from alone. People with autoimmune diseases are almost twice as likely to experience mental health conditions such as depression or anxiety compared to the general population. This means addressing your mental wellbeing is not just important—it’s essential.
What Are Autoimmune Diseases?
Autoimmune diseases occur when the immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s own healthy tissues. Instead of protecting you, it turns against you, leading to chronic inflammation and a range of long-term distressing symptoms.
Triggered by a mix of genetics, environmental factors, or infections, these conditions often result in unpredictable flares and remissions, requiring ongoing management to maintain quality of life. This misdirected immune response can affect various organs, making each day a unique challenge for those affected.
Some of the most common autoimmune diseases include:
| Thyroid Disorders (Hashimoto, Graves’ disease) |
| Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA): |
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| Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (Lupus) |
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| Multiple Sclerosis (MS) |
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| Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) |
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The Link Between Autoimmune Diseases and Mental Health
Studies in recent years have found striking numbers:
- A 2025 University of Edinburgh study of 1.5 million people found that individuals with autoimmune conditions had an 87–97% higher risk of developing mental health issues compared to those without [1].
- Nearly 30% of people with autoimmune diseases reported being diagnosed with a mood disorder like depression or anxiety, compared to just 18% of the general population [1].
- Studies from Cambridge and King’s College London revealed that over half of patients with systemic autoimmune conditions experience depression and anxiety, while 70% reported cognitive problems such as memory difficulties [2].
When your body is constantly fighting itself, unavoidably, your mind feels the toll too.
Autoimmune diseases cause the immune cells to attack themselves. That not only impacts the body, but the brain as well, possibly disrupting the functioning of neurotransmitters, responsible for emotion regulation, sleep patterns, cognition, etc. This helps explain why autoimmune patients are more vulnerable to depression and anxiety.
Additionally, living with unpredictable flare-ups, pain, or fatigue can be stressful. Imagine making holiday plans with friends but having to cancel at the last minute because of exhaustion – that frustration, guilt, and disappointment can pile up over time.
The reality of living with an autoimmune disease also means frequent doctor visits, medication side effects, or navigating health insurance formalities. Trying to organize your life around these factors —balancing work, social outings, and self-care —can leave you feeling burned out. For some, this creates a constant undercurrent of anxiety and stress.
mental health support is available.
On top of these already overwhelming struggles, autoimmune diseases, or “invisible illnesses”, are often stigmatised by others. Why? Because many symptoms that individuals with autoimmune issues struggle with daily are not visible to the naked eye.
Unfortunately, there are too many stories of patients being dismissed, sometimes even by their doctors, which has a name of its own – medical gaslighting. Such a difficult experience as gaslighting can leave people feeling invalidated, misunderstood, undersupported, isolated, stigmatised, and doubting themselves.
Living with an Autoimmune Disease: How To Support Your Mental Health
Stay Informed Without Overwhelm:3
While learning about your condition is empowering, constant research can cause overwhelm. Set time limits and allow loved ones to help gather information.
Respect Your Limits
Give yourself permission to rest without guilt. Let go of powering through your struggle at all times. Autoimmune conditions fluctuate, and respecting your limits is part of caring for your health.
Regulate Your Nervous System
Gentle mindfulness practices like breathwork, yoga, vagus nerve stimulation, or meditation can reduce stress and improve mind-body resilience. Even short daily practices can make a meaningful difference.
Build a Support System
Family, friends, and support groups—online or in person—can help you feel less alone in your journey. Sharing experiences with others who “get it” can be healing and validating.
Work with a Mental Health Professional
Living with an autoimmune disease means navigating both visible and invisible struggles. The body and mind are deeply interconnected, and addressing one without the other can leave patients feeling unsupported. But you don’t have to face this alone.
Psychologists and psychiatrists from our team of providers can help you process grief, manage stress, and develop treatment plans tailored to your unique needs.
Reach out today to support both your physical and mental well-being.
References:
[1] Rakshasa-Loots AM, Swiffen D, Steyn C, Marwick KFM, Smith DJ. Affective disorders and chronic inflammatory conditions: analysis of 1.5 million participants in Our Future Health. BMJ Mental Health. 2025(28):e301706.
[2] Sloan, M., Wincup, C., Harwood, R., Pollak, T. A., Massou, E., Bosley, M., Pitkanen, M., Zandi, M. S., Leschziner, G., Barrere, C., … & Price, C. (2024). Prevalence and identification of neuropsychiatric symptoms in systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases: An international mixed methods study. Rheumatology, 63(5), 1259–1272.
