Sometimes I feel sad and depressed because of my hepatitis B status, what should I do?
We are so sorry that your hepatitis B infection is causing distress. Do understand that you are not alone! Many people living with hepatitis B feel the same, but because hepatitis B is still stigmatized, and doesn’t receive the proper support that it deserves, people often feel isolated and alone. Know that there are things you can do to help yourself and others in this fight.
Educate yourself about hepatitis B. Knowledge is power, and when you have the power, you can defeat the disease by taking the right steps to support your health. To start, you will need to regularly monitor your hepatitis B infection and the health of your liver and discuss with your doctor whether you need to take antivirals. Here are several resources to increase your knowledge about hepatitis B:
- Hepatitis B Foundation website is a comprehensive link to all areas related to hepatitis B. From there you can connect to numerous resources including preventing, diagnosing, treating and managing hepatis B, along with language chapters in different languages.
- Questions and answers page. This is a comprehensive collection of the most frequently asked questions by people living with hepatitis B and their friends and family members.
- Learn about the physical, social, and emotional impact of living with chronic hepatitis B, and how this impacts people like you around the globe and what to do about it.
- B-Heppy Podcast is great tool to listen and learn about topics that matter to people living with hepatitis B.
- Hepatitis B Foundation Blog: this is a great resource for day-to-day life issues that matter to hep B patients, like disclosing to a partner, learning about the virus and ways to get involved, etc.
- Hepatitis B Information Guide is a good resource for quick information about hepatitis B and might be helpful to share with others.
- HBV Patient Education Hub (CME Outfitters)
- CDC Hepatitis B Patient Education Resources: This website has a great deal of information in the form of questions and answers.
Join the Hep B Community, an online hep B community for people living with hepatitis B! It is a global interactive community, and it is free. The journey with hepatitis B is a long one, and it is important to experience it with good company. There, you can chat with people from around the world – those living with hepatitis B, scientists, and clinicians. The aim is to support people living with hepatitis B worldwide and connect them with health experts, scientists and others living with the hepatitis B virus. Additionally, researchers often share their latest hepatitis B research on this forum, in a patient-friendly format, which gives you heads up on latest hepatitis B research updates.
Watch personal stories by real people impacted by hepatitis B: Many living with hepatitis B share their story and how they handled some of the challenges they face.
Make a conscious decision to live a healthy lifestyle to support your liver. You’ve got this; you are in control! You can support your liver by not drinking alcohol, not smoking and maintaining a healthy weight by eating a well-balanced diet and getting regular exercise. Here is more information on how to maintain a healthy liver. Also, be very careful with medications or herbal remedies and supplements. Some supplements and herbs can do more harm than good. This podcast is strongly recommended: what a person with hepatitis B should eat. You may also find this guide helpful.
Think about who you would like to inform about your diagnosis and when. You don’t have to disclose your hepatitis B status to the entire world, but we all have people in our close circle, with whom we would like to share our tough moments. Please read our guide about when and how you should disclose your hepatitis B diagnosis.
Finally, if you feel you cannot get the help and support from your partner, family or circle of friends, please consider seeking professional help from a trained counselor or trusted community leader. Please talk to your doctor to refer you to a professional consultant. If you are thinking about harming yourself, please find help immediately here globally and in the US dial 988.
Please know that people with hepatitis B have bright futures and long lives ahead of them – they can go to school, have careers, date, marry, have children, and live a normal life. We know it is hard to stay optimistic, but it is important to always keep a positive attitude. Do that and you’ll live a happy, fulfilling life!
Find more Frequently Asked Questions here.
Page updated 12/27/2022