Mental Health Important for Cancer Survivors

One of the most challenging aspects of coping with cancer is how it affects mental health. It's not surprising that receiving a cancer diagnosis would cause stress, anxiety, and in many cases depression. What is less clear is how these mental health issues may affect survival after diagnosis. A new study helps to answer this question and points to the importance of seeking help if you have been diagnosed with cancer and feel depressed.

Research published in the journal Cancer provides the best look yet at how depression may affect survival after cancer. A process called meta-analysis was used to combine and analyze data from 25 previous studies. The advantage of this approach is that it allows for large numbers of people to be studied together. The more people in a study, the more likely it is that relationships between possible causes and effects will be discovered, if they exist.

The study did not find that depression or depressive symptoms affects progression of disease. However, cancer patients with depressive symptoms were 25% more likely to die from any cause, including cancer, and patients diagnosed as having minor or major depression were 39% more likely to die.

This is the bad news. The good news is that if you have cancer and you're feeling overwhelmed, stressed, or depressed, there are many options for addressing these issues. There is no reason to suffer depression alone. Your health care team is the first place to start when seeking help to get your mental health back on track. In addition to this, the following can help you get the support you need.

What Should You Do if You're Struggling to Cope?

• Acknowledge that it's normal. This is not the time to "man up" or "be a hero". There is no shame in admitting that you're scared, overwhelmed, or need to talk to someone about what you're going through. Facing cancer means facing our own mortality - a weighty proposition for even the "toughest" among us.
• Tap into cancer survivor support groups. Contact your cancer treatment clinic and ask if they have support groups available. Most do. If you can't find a group locally, consider trying an on-line (internet) support group. Some people actually like on-line groups better because you can use them anytime to post questions or comments, and you don't have to feel embarrassed about asking "sensitive" questions.
• Seek professional help. Ask your primary care provider for a referral to a mental health care specialist. You may even be able to find someone who specializes in helping people cope with life-threatening diseases. You can learn some tips and tricks for managing your anxiety and improve your quality of life measurably.
• Don't be afraid of medication. Unfortunately, in our culture, taking medications to manage depression often is viewed as "weak" or "self-indulgent". Nothing could be further from the truth. Depression is a real medical issue and is caused by real changes in your brain chemistry. Nobody would tell a diabetic to just "think" their way out of high blood sugar levels. In the same way, you should not buy into the idea that if you just "try harder" you'll feel better. Don't buy into these outdated and untrue ideas about depression!
• Keep in mind that this study does not conclusively prove cause and effect. It does not prove that being depressed caused people with cancer to die. So if you're feeling depressed, don't expect that this means you're more likely to die. What the study does show is that if you have cancer, ignoring depression is a bad idea. And with all of the help that is available, there's no reason to accept depression after cancer diagnosis as "normal".
• Find inspiration in the stories of others. Some people find it helpful to read books or essays by others who have gone through cancer. There is strength in numbers; sometimes simply knowing you're not alone is what you need to cope at that moment. There are plenty of exellent books on cancer and books written by cancer survivors.