Taking Care of Yourself While Taking Care of Cancer
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, something that is especially important, though often overlooked, for people living with cancer and their caregivers. It is estimated that roughly one out of three cancer patients treated in a hospital will experience a mental health condition and up to 24% will experience depression while in cancer treatment.
Those are sobering statistics for someone being treated for a serious disease. It is easy to feel overwhelmed, which, as it turns out, can be one of the symptoms of a mental health disorder. Depression, anxiety, and distress are the three most common mental health conditions experienced by cancer patients.
Depression is a well-known mental health condition and is common in nature. It is characterized by feelings of sadness, difficulty concentrating, a sense of hopelessness, losing interest in things you typically enjoy, disruptions in appetite or sleep, a lack of energy, and, at its worst, having thoughts of suicide.
Anxiety is a condition known for causing uncontrolled worrying, irritability and angry outbursts, muscle tension and physical restlessness, and experiencing troubling intrusive thoughts. Anxiety can be made worse when dealing with a stressful life event.
Distress is an overall feeling of emotional pain associated with stressful life changes. It can appear with symptoms that look like depression and anxiety with sadness, fear, hopelessness, and feeling a lack of control. It can also lead to withdrawing and retreating from responsibilities and relationships.
Living with the realities of a cancer diagnosis, including treatment, hospitalizations, frequent appointments, tests, and medication side effects can easily contribute to a sense of being vulnerable and not in control of one’s own self. That distress is normal during cancer treatment, but when those feelings begin to impact and interfere with treatment or other aspects of life like work, parenting, school, or relationships, it is time to seek help.
It is also important to note that people who are already vulnerable may be even more vulnerable during cancer treatment. That includes those with significant treatment side effects, financial trouble, having limited access to quality health care, transportation problems, caring for young children at home, language barriers, women, abuse victims, and those with a history of mental illness or substance abuse.
Srilata Gundala, MD, is a hematologist/oncologist and founder of Hope & Healing Care Center in Hinsdale, Illinois and knows the importance of looking for the signs and symptoms of mental health changes in her patients during treatment, “I never want my patients to feel guilty or ashamed if they don’t fly through treatment with a smile and positive attitude. There is no need to suffer in silence, and it is only if a patient speaks up and let’s us know of their distress that we can guide them to help and resources.”
Written By: Sheila Quirke, MSW
Reviewed By: Srilata Gundala, MD
