Have you seen someone pretending to be a person with disability? These people are showing their identification cards to prove their claims. But most of the time, even though their proofs are valid, people judge them as a faker.
Sadly, the society is not aware of this type of disability wherein the conditions of a person is not visible to the naked eye. This is what we call as “Invisible Disability”, or it can also be called as hidden disabilities because their disability is literally hidden.
According to studies in the United States of America and the United Kingdom, 70% of their PWDs (people with disabilities) have an invisible type. In fact, this category of disability is the most common one, but people are either ignorant about it or they just do not want to accept the reality.
Therefore, the ‘Person with Dignity’ project decided to make an article for this type of disability hoping that we can help raise awareness to the people regarding the invisible disability.
What are the Invisible Disabilities?
An invisible or unseen disability is any impairment that are usually hidden from everyone. This type of disability can include, but is not limited to: cognitive impairment, brain injury, the autism spectrum, and chronic illnesses like multiple sclerosis, chronic fatigue, chronic pain, and fibromyalgia.
Other sensory disabilities like Deaf or hard of hearing, blindness and/or low vision impairments can also be considered as invisible disability because it is hardly to see their condition by just looking at them.
Moreover, different mental disorders such as anxiety, depression, and PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) can also be identified as one of the invisible disabilities because these are conditions that affects the everyday life of a person and most people are not aware of their mental health illness.
Common Types of Invisible Disabilities
Based on different reports regarding invisible disabilities, there are four common types of hidden impairments that people are not aware of. Today, we will look at them and try to understand them.
Anxiety and Depression
The term "anxiety disorder" describes to particular psychiatric disorders that involve extreme fear or worry, and includes generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder and panic attacks, agoraphobia, social anxiety disorder, selective mutism, separation anxiety, and specific phobias (ADAA).
According to 2017 global report, there was an estimated 284 million people who have experienced an anxiety disorder. This is the reason why it is one of the most common type of invisible disabilities in the world. Most people are experiencing it already, but they are not aware of it.
On the other hand, depression is a condition in which a person feels discouraged, sad, hopeless, unmotivated, or disinterested in life. Most of the time, it can interfere with their daily activities.
Major depression is a treatable illness that affects the way a person thinks, feels, behaves, and functions. In fact, about 3 to 5 percent of people suffer from major depression. The lifetime risk for a person is about 17 percent.
Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia is a disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain accompanied by fatigue, sleep, memory, and mood issues (Mayo Clinic). Researchers believe that fibromyalgia amplifies painful sensations by affecting the way your brain and spinal cord process painful and nonpainful signals.
The disorder affects an estimated 10 million people in the U.S. and an estimated 3-6% of the world population. While it is most prevalent in women —75-90 percent of the people who have FM are women —it also occurs in men and children of all ethnic groups.
Brain Injury
Neurotrauma or also known as Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is an important public health problem that deserves the attention of the world's health community. It has already affected many individuals, families, and communities which causes them to have lifetime disabilities or death to some people.
According to World Health Organization (WHO), there are an estimated 10 million people in the world who are acquiring brain injury every year. However, some of the brain-injured people are barely impacted, while others might have life-changing symptoms that affect memory and speaking.
Autism
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex developmental condition that includes enduring challenges in social interaction, speech and nonverbal communication, and restricted/repetitive behaviors.
It is called a "spectrum" disorder because people with ASD have various symptoms depending on the person. Some people who have ASD might have problems talking to another person. They may say repetitive words or sentences and will not look you in the eyes.
This is the reason why they seem like they have their “own world” because of their conditions. Moreover, people with autism tend to be more sensitive to lights and sounds, and busy places and commuting can be a form of psychological distress.
Based on the reports of WHO regarding the prevalence of autism, there was about one in 160 children who has an ASD.
Invisible Disabilities Are Not Rare
People with Invisible Disabilities are not rare. Just like we have said earlier, these people exist, and they are everywhere. As the name suggests, invisible disabilities are not easy to notice and you cannot ‘tell’ if they have a disability or not just by looking at them.
Therefore, we should not judge anyone if they claim to have a disability because they might be saying the truth. Do not be surprise if someone you know is also one of the people who have hidden disabilities.
Maybe they are just afraid to be called as a ‘faker’ or an ‘impostor’ if that person tells his or her condition. Sad to say, a lot of people are not aware of these invisible disabilities that’s why they are being judgmental.
This is the main reason why we make this article so that people will be aware of its existence and it is not a rare condition. There are so many conditions and impairments that can be considered as invisible disability.
In fact, it is a long list but here are some of it to name a few: arthritis, brain injuries, mental illnesses, diabetes, epilepsy, cognitive and learning disabilities, chronic pain, fatigue, and so much more.
However, proper diagnosis of a doctor is needed for your condition to be considered as an invisible disability.
Famous People Who Has Invisible Disability
Did you know that some of the famous people especially in Hollywood have invisible illnesses and disabilities? Yes, it is true! This proves that hidden impairments are really not that rare because even the celebrities have it too.
To name a few, here are some of the famous people who have invisible disabilities. First on the list is Selena Gomez who has a Lupus which is a systemic autoimmune disease that occurs when your body's immune system attacks your own tissues and organs.
Second is Jack Osbourne, who has Multiple Sclerosis (MS) which is a potentially disabling disease of the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system). Next is Demi Lovato who has bipolar disorder which is a mental illness marked by extreme shifts in mood.
The last but not the least on the long list is the legendary Morgan Freeman has a chronic pain condition (fibromyalgia) which is a disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain.
These celebrities are a living proof that invisible disabilities are not rare, and people should be aware of it.
Moreover, these famous people did not let their conditions to hinder them to have a successful career in their chosen fields.
The best part is that these celebrities speaking openly about their conditions because they wanted to help raise awareness and combat stigma around invisible illness and disability.
Conclusion
After reading all the things that are written above, we hope that you already understand that there are many types of disability including the invisible ones. These people with hidden disabilities are not just faking it.
Therefore, let us stop saying to people who claims to have a disability that they are impostors, and they do not look like they have one. As we have said, not all disabilities are visible to the naked eye.
Moreover, people should also stop downplaying someone’s experiences and compare it to their own. These invisible disabilities are not the same with other people’s stress, sadness, and hormonal changes that you can get over it.
In fact, some of these hidden impairments does not have any known cause yet and also do not have any cure for it. So, please help us spread awareness of this type of disability by sharing this article to any of your social media sites.
It will be a huge help to lessen the stigma and discrimination that these people are currently experiencing. Like we always say in this website, people with disability are also people with dignity.
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