Simone Webster’s mood swings and emotions were a constant source of trouble. However, when she received a breast cancer diagnosis at age 31 last year, the floodgates truly opened. “I must have done something,” Webster remarked, her tears welling up. How did I trigger this?
Waves of despair overtook Webster, now 33, with a profound sense of helplessness that made her want to run away from the world. According to Webster, you lose a lot of things, such as her boyfriend, her right breast, and her ability to conceive. Feeling hopeful feels so foolish.
Although these problems frequently go untreated, depression, anxiety, and other psychological disorders affect about one-third of cancer patients. Oncologists frequently don’t want to open this bag of worms, according to Kristin Kilbourn, a clinical psychologist at the University of Colorado Denver. In addition, mental health has traditionally been undervalued, and medical facilities lose money treating psychiatric patients.
However, this disregard has a heavy price: cancer patients who suffer from depression have mortality rates that are up to 39% greater than those who do not suffer from mental disease. Additionally, studies reveal that the risk of suicide is three times higher even a year after receiving a cancer diagnosis and thirteen times higher in the week that follows.
Webster is well aware that the effects of cancer extend beyond the physical body; it also attacks the psyche. Patients must frequently fill up treatment gaps by speaking out for themselves and actively seeking out mental health help, even though doctors and cancer centers have gradually expanded mental health services.
According to Webster of Washington, D.C., your oncologist will not diagnose your mood fluctuations for you. Unless you tell them, they are unaware of your depression or suicide thoughts.
How are cancer and mental illness linked
Dr. Santosh Rao, an oncologist at University Hospitals in Cleveland, stated that while sadness and fear are common responses to a cancer diagnosis, clinical depression and anxiety are different. It involves losing interest in your favorite activities, altering your eating and sleeping habits, and possibly experiencing panic attacks over an extended period of time that significantly affects your day-to-day activities, he said.
Mental illness can be both exacerbated and triggered by cancer. 10% of participants in a 2023 study of 230,000 patients had anxiety or sadness prior to receiving a cancer diagnosis, and 22% did so after receiving one. Metastatic patients had the highest rate of new cases.
The psychological strain of receiving a new cancer diagnosis, the existential fear of dying, and the toll this illness has on relationships are frequently the causes of this association. According to Rao, cancer frequently exacerbates existing strained relationships rather than strengthening them.
According to Dr. Zev Nakamura, a psychiatrist at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, additional factors include the immediate consequences of cancer and the adverse effects of treatment. For instance, unmanaged discomfort might cause people to stop their daily activities and have difficulty falling asleep. Cancer operations can have a significant impact on a person’s sense of self and body image, while hormone-blocking medications, which are frequently used to treat breast and prostate cancer, can also cause lethargy and mood swings. These can include having to use a colostomy bag to collect waste or having one’s ovaries and uterus removed during a total hysterectomy.
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