More than one-quarter of those struggling with ailments have had specific health issues for several years or more; nearly 8% report that they have been struggling with an ailment for more than a decade. The impact of the struggle is wide-ranging with 46% reporting having issues with sleep, 28% having developed mental health conditions, and 18% reporting that they are no longer able to work.
7 in 10 of those struggling with ailments report that they have tried to adopt a keep calm and just carry on type of mindset as a coping mechanism. Another 28% report that they do so because for one reason or another they feel like their doctor just doesn’t seem interested. 27% claim that they are not able to even get an appointment with their doctor, and 22% say that they just don’t like going in for an appointment to see their doctor. Surprisingly, 52% admit that it has never even crossed their mind to visit a pharmacy for some advice.
“Even minor issues and ailments can impact our quality of life and the way we want to live, when they really don’t have to,” suggests Farah Ali, superintendent pharmacist at London’s Warman-Freed, in a statement. “Don’t ignore your body by putting up with discomfort and suffering in silence. There are ways to manage conditions early through self-care so that problems don’t build up and disrupt everyday activity.”
The data suggests that there is a common tendency to go it alone and suffer in silence, with 57% of all participants reporting that they typically keep quiet when they develop a health condition. However, 54% admit that they are better at looking at other people’s health status rather than their own. This approach appears to be applied to self-care as well with 56% agreeing that they neglect self-care, and 43% not even considering self-care to be a priority. But 43% think that they have been improving with self-care over recent years, and 69% reported that they are good at listening to their body and understanding its needs.
The data suggests that the average adult has called in sick to work at least 7 days over the past year. However, this number should perhaps be higher due to 3 in 5 participants reporting that they have worked despite feeling too ill to do so. 37% report going to work despite being ill because they just don’t like taking time off, 31% report having too much work to do, and 20% report that they go to work because they simply don’t want to acknowledge that they had a problem to begin with.
“You must always seek the advice of a healthcare professional for any prolonged condition. Your community pharmacist is an accessible and great first point of call if you’re struggling to get an appointment with your doctor,” says Ali. “Pharmacists are experts in minor health conditions, able to provide self-care solutions. They can offer clinical advice and over-the-counter medicines for a range of minor illnesses. And they’ll [guide] you if you need to see a [doctor], nurse or other healthcare professional to treat your condition.”
