Mental Health and IgG4-RD: Treating the Whole Person
Mental Health and IgG4-RD: Treating the Whole Person
Honoring Mental Health Awareness Month with a powerful patient–physician story
May is Mental Health Awareness Month—a time to pause, reflect, and recognize how deeply mental and emotional well-being impact our lives. For those living with a rare, chronic disease like IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD), the mental toll is often just as real and complex as the physical one.
That is why, this month, we are highlighting a powerful and deeply personal conversation between Andy, a person living with IgG4-RD and his physician, Dr. John Stone.
A Conversation About the Whole Person
In this moving conversation, Andy shares how he began to recognize his own emotional struggle—and how opening up led to a turning point in his care. Dr. Stone responds with honesty, humility, and compassion, acknowledging that while the inflammation was under control, Andy “still wasn’t thriving.” Together, they leaned into the importance of treating not just the IgG4-related disease, but the whole person.
“You have to make mental health a priority,” Andy says. “Because without proper mental health, you can’t get to the next step… you can’t really get anywhere.”
This video is a reminder that it takes strength to be vulnerable. Speaking up about how you feel—even when it’s hard—isn’t weakness, it’s courage. Healing may come from medications, but it also comes from feeling seen, heard and cared for as a whole human being.
Watch Part One of the Conversation
Coming Next Week: A Caregiver’s Perspective
Part Two of this story offers a powerful continuation—this time from the caregiver’s perspective.
In this emotional follow-up, Katharine, Andy’s wife and caregiver, opens up about the difficult but essential role of recognizing when something more is going on—and helping a loved one take that first step toward mental health support. As both a spouse and a clinical social worker, she reflects on the importance of communication, trust and timing—and how partnering with Dr. Stone became a turning point in Andy’s care. This conversation is a deeply personal reminder that mental health is not only a patient’s journey—it’s a shared one.
New! Mental Health Resource Hub
Treating IgG4-RD also means supporting the whole person.
Living with a rare disease can take a serious toll on emotional well-being—not just for patients, but also for caregivers and families. That’s why we’ve created a dedicated space to explore the mental health side of this journey.
Explore expert-led webinars, caregiver support, downloadable tools, crisis hotlines, and real stories from people navigating the emotional impact of rare disease.
In crisis? Call or text 988 for 24/7 mental health support in the U.S.
Also visit GiveAnHour.org for free mental health support services.
Mental health is health.
