Did you know that there are 1.6 million foreign nationals living in Belgium?
-> Given that approximately 20% of people are affected by chronic pain, that’s more than 300,000 non-Belgians managing their pain abroad.
-> It is also estimated that 4% of the population is currently living with cancer, that’s then 65,000 non-Belgian cancer patients. Luckily, treatments are improving, but this also means that a growing number of these patients are then having to readjust to life as cancer survivors.
-> Diabetes is thought to affect close to 10% of the population, so we can assume 160,000 non-Belgian diabetes patients.
-> COPD (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) affects 7% of the population, with prevalence increasing, so there are likely to be at least 100,000 non-Belgians managing COPD symptoms.
This is just a snapshot of the conditions that people are managing. It’s also important to remember that it’s not just the person with the symptoms who carries the mental burden in these situations - partners, parents, children, friends - they can all be affected in different ways.
In the linked article, I outline how a health psychologist can help:
It's less about crisis management and more about building a liveable life alongside your condition. Together, you might work on developing coping strategies for unpredictable symptoms, identifying what's getting in the way of managing your health, navigating the shift in identity that comes with going from "well person" to "patient" (and sometimes back again), or simply finding language for what you're experiencing so you can communicate it better to your doctors, your partner, or your friends.
The goal isn't to fix your illness. It's to help you move from surviving it to living fully within it.
If you have any questions, or just want to chat about the health journey you are on, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
References:
https://statbel.fgov.be/en/themes/population/structure-population/origin
https://www.healthybelgium.be/en/health-status/non-communicable-diseases
Michotte N, Demeure F, Guiot J, Trenson S, Vanfleteren MJ, Lahousse L, Raskin J, Cataldo D, Lapperre T, Marchand E, Leys M, Janssens W, Bruyneel M, Vanfleteren LE, Vanderhelst E, Goeminne P, Teughels S, Lins M, Van Rossem I, Peché R. Optimizing COPD Care in Belgium: A Multidisciplinary Expert Consensus on Cardiopulmonary Risk Management. Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis. 2026;21:578651 https://doi.org/10.2147/COPD.S578651