About r/ChronicIllness
A place of support for those living with, or affected by, chronic illness. Open and welcoming to all. This subreddit is for social and community support, not medical advice. If you need help please contact mod mail with a link to the content you need help with or have questions about.
The community at a glance
r/ChronicIllness is a Subreddit for Mental Health and Chronic Conditions with roughly 108K members. It has been around since 2011. It has both a forum and a live chat communication style. On the Hive Index it ranks #4 in the Chronic Conditions communities list.
Roughly 23K members have joined in the past year. Popular discussion topics include Chronic Illness, Looking For, and Support Group. Common discussion themes are Advice Requests and Pain & Anger. Product recommendations often mention symptom tracking app, heating pad, and mobility aid.
Community Topics
Subreddit Analysis
via GummySearchMember growth over time
All time (yearly)
- 2013: 33 members
- 2014: 27 members
- 2015: 166 members
- 2016: 401 members
- 2017: 744 members
- 2018: 2K members
- 2019: 4K members
- 2020: 13K members
- 2021: 15K members
- 2023: 28K members
- 2024: 14K members
- 2025: 16K members
- 2026: 15K members
Past year (monthly)
- Aug: 1K members
- Sep: 1K members
- Oct: 1K members
- Nov: 2K members
- Dec: 2K members
- Jan: 2K members
- Feb: 2K members
- Mar: 2K members
- Apr: 2K members
- May: 4K members
- Jun: 2K members
- Jul: 1K members
Themes
- Advice Requests2 posts in the past month
- What can I even eat at this point??
- Need advice for talking to parents
#12Advice RequestsWhat can I even eat at this point?? · Need advice for talking to parents - Pain & Anger2 posts in the past month
- Doctors not wanting to use pain relief / medication
- Frustration at lack of help from family
#22Pain & AngerDoctors not wanting to use pain relief / medication · Frustration at lack of help from family
Topics
- Chronic Illness26 posts in the past month#126Chronic Illness
- Looking For19 posts in the past month#219Looking For
- Support Group5 posts in the past month#35Support Group
- Diagnosis5 posts in the past month#45Diagnosis
- Fatigue5 posts in the past month#55Fatigue
Flair
- Question51 posts in the past month
- Why do able bodied people have such a hard time with the word "disabled"?
- What is the crappiest comment somebody has made about your chronic illness?
- I am completely trapped by chronic illness, debt, and a broken marriage. How do I build a way out from zero?
#151QuestionWhy do able bodied people have such a hard time with the word "disabled"? · What is the crappiest comment somebody has made about your chronic illness? · I am completely trapped by chronic illness, debt, and a broken marriage. How do I build a way out from zero? - Rant33 posts in the past month
- I’m so tired of the “push yourself” narrative.
- “Keep track!” STFU😐
- doctors don't dismiss me anymore?
#233RantI’m so tired of the “push yourself” narrative. · “Keep track!” STFU😐 · doctors don't dismiss me anymore? - Support wanted28 posts in the past month
- Ways to have fun in a relationship when you’re mostly housebound?
- Hopeless after doctor's visit, I could really use some uplifting words
- I was accepted into nursing school last week. Three days ago I was diagnosed with MS. I’m so scared.
#328Support wantedWays to have fun in a relationship when you’re mostly housebound? · Hopeless after doctor's visit, I could really use some uplifting words · I was accepted into nursing school last week. Three days ago I was diagnosed with MS. I’m so scared. - Vent27 posts in the past month
- "You Always Manage To Feel Fine When It's Something Fun"......No, No I Do Not
- Daughter broke me yesterday
- I just caught up with old friends and while I love them and I’m happy for them, I always feel so shit after
#427Vent"You Always Manage To Feel Fine When It's Something Fun"......No, No I Do Not · Daughter broke me yesterday · I just caught up with old friends and while I love them and I’m happy for them, I always feel so shit after - Discussion26 posts in the past month
- Anyone else feel overwhelmed by how many medications they take?
- People talk about the physical effects of chronic illness, but no one talks about the mental ones.
- Anyone else have friends/family stop talking to them because your chronic illness is ‘too depressing’? How do you cope?
#526DiscussionAnyone else feel overwhelmed by how many medications they take? · People talk about the physical effects of chronic illness, but no one talks about the mental ones. · Anyone else have friends/family stop talking to them because your chronic illness is ‘too depressing’? How do you cope?
Product recommendations
- symptom tracking app4 posts in the past month
- Can you recommend a symptom tracking system?
- Advice: symptom tracking app/recommended method?
- Recs for symptom tracking on android
#14symptom tracking appCan you recommend a symptom tracking system? · Advice: symptom tracking app/recommended method? · Recs for symptom tracking on android - heating pad3 posts in the past month
- Can someone recommend a heating pad that actually gets hot?
- Most recommended heat pad?
- Heating Pad Recs!
#23heating padCan someone recommend a heating pad that actually gets hot? · Most recommended heat pad? · Heating Pad Recs! - mobility aid3 posts in the past month
- Can you guys recommend some mobility aids for me?
- Mobility Aid Recs
- Cute mobility aid recs?
#33mobility aidCan you guys recommend some mobility aids for me? · Mobility Aid Recs · Cute mobility aid recs?
Community Reviews
Frequently asked questions
- Who is r/ChronicIllness for?
- Best for Mental Health and Chronic Conditions enthusiasts looking for a Reddit-based community with forum discussion, live chat.
- Is r/ChronicIllness free to join?
- This listing is not marked as paid-only. Access rules and any fees are decided by the community.
- How many members does r/ChronicIllness have?
- Roughly 108K members, based on figures reported by the community or its host. Member counts are approximate and change over time.
- What platform is r/ChronicIllness on?
- r/ChronicIllness runs on Reddit. Reddit communities (or "subreddits") are forum-based groups on the popular social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website Reddit. Reddit is commonly known as "the front page of the internet". Users submit content to the site such as links, text posts, and images, which are then voted up or down and discussed by other members. From investing Reddit communities, to professional ones, to ones just for laughs, you're likely to find a community for you on Reddit.
- What topics does r/ChronicIllness cover?
- On the Hive Index, r/ChronicIllness is organized under Mental Health, Chronic Conditions.
- How do I join r/ChronicIllness?
- You can join r/ChronicIllness by clicking this link, or pressing the "Go to community" button above.
- What are the Mental Health communities like?
- Communities for people navigating anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, loneliness, trauma, and everyday mental health challenges. Find online support groups, peer support networks, and online therapy resources. Reddit has some of the largest and most active mental health communities on the internet, with Discord servers offering real-time peer support.
Monthly Stats
- 10
- Views /mo (+100%)
- 9
- Visitors /mo (+80%)
- 0
- Referrals /mo
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