Cancer and Depression
Sadness and grief are normal reactions for people who are faced with cancer.
As such it is important to distinguish between sadness and depression.
Some may experience greater difficulty adjusting to the diagnosis of cancer than other but almost everyone will go through sadness and grief periodically throughout diagnosis, treatment and survival of cancer.
When people are told that they have cancer, they often have feeling of disbelief, denial and despair.
They may even experience sleeping difficulties, loss of appetite, anxiety and extreme worries about the future.
These symptoms and fear usually lesson as a person comes to terms with the diagnosis.
Studies have shown that a person's mental attitude can impact his/her physical health.
Depression is a disabling illness that affects about 15 per cent to 25 per cent of cancer patients.
It affects men and women equally.
Cancer patients react and experience different levels of stress and emotional upset.
Some issues that are significant to a cancer patient may include the following:
Major depression is not merely feeling sad or feeling blue.
Major depression is prolonged sadness with or without reason; it affect about 25 per cent of patients with common symptoms that can be diagnosed and treated.
Patients with pre-existing or a history of depression should be monitored closely as depression may reoccur or be aggravated following a cancer diagnosis.
Just as patients need to be watched for depression throughout their treatment, family member and/or their caregivers too need to be observed for signs of depression.
Caregivers have been found to experience greater anxiety and depression than people who do not provide care to cancer patients.
Children are also affected when a parent with cancer develops depression.
A person who cannot accept the diagnosis after a long period of time and who loses interest in usual activities may be depressed.
Mild symptoms of depressed.
Mild symptoms of depression can be distressing and should not be ignored.
In mild depression, counselling may help.
Even patients who do not display any symptoms may benefit from seeing a counsellor.
As such it is important to distinguish between sadness and depression.
Some may experience greater difficulty adjusting to the diagnosis of cancer than other but almost everyone will go through sadness and grief periodically throughout diagnosis, treatment and survival of cancer.
When people are told that they have cancer, they often have feeling of disbelief, denial and despair.
They may even experience sleeping difficulties, loss of appetite, anxiety and extreme worries about the future.
These symptoms and fear usually lesson as a person comes to terms with the diagnosis.
Studies have shown that a person's mental attitude can impact his/her physical health.
Depression is a disabling illness that affects about 15 per cent to 25 per cent of cancer patients.
It affects men and women equally.
Cancer patients react and experience different levels of stress and emotional upset.
Some issues that are significant to a cancer patient may include the following:
- Fear of death
- Interruption of life plan
- Change in body image and self-esteem
- Change in social role and lifestyle and
- Money and legal concerns
Major depression is not merely feeling sad or feeling blue.
Major depression is prolonged sadness with or without reason; it affect about 25 per cent of patients with common symptoms that can be diagnosed and treated.
Patients with pre-existing or a history of depression should be monitored closely as depression may reoccur or be aggravated following a cancer diagnosis.
Just as patients need to be watched for depression throughout their treatment, family member and/or their caregivers too need to be observed for signs of depression.
Caregivers have been found to experience greater anxiety and depression than people who do not provide care to cancer patients.
Children are also affected when a parent with cancer develops depression.
A person who cannot accept the diagnosis after a long period of time and who loses interest in usual activities may be depressed.
Mild symptoms of depressed.
Mild symptoms of depression can be distressing and should not be ignored.
In mild depression, counselling may help.
Even patients who do not display any symptoms may benefit from seeing a counsellor.
