May is Mental Health Awareness Month
Cancer can both intensify and exacerbate mental illnesses like depression and anxiety. The psychological stress of the diagnosis itself, the possibility of facing death and the intense strain that treatment places on relationships can all exacerbate symptoms. Pair this potent combination with increased financial stress – often due to the patient’s loss of income during treatment – and you’ve got the perfect environment for mental illness to flourish.
Mental illness refers to a wide range of diagnosable health conditions—disorders of thinking, emotion, or behavior—that significantly interfere with a person’s ability to function, work, and maintain relationships.
Ironically, the mental illness that can develop in the shadow of cancer is also going to be the thing most counterproductive to creating effective treatment outcomes for patients. Mental illness can be deadly for cancer patients. Motivating oneself to maintain compliance with treatment, get regular exercise or lead a healthy lifestyle becomes increasingly difficult when a patient is dealing with unmanaged depression or anxiety.
And we’re talking about some staggering numbers:
– One third of cancer patients are struggling with mental illness.
– Mortality rates are up to 39% higher among cancer patients with depression compared to those without mental illness.
What’s the good news?
There are plenty of mental health resources available in the cancer care space, but patients will often need to advocate for themselves to find and take advantage of them. Most oncologists are not able to devote the time to both the physical and mental aspects of care; it’s the hospital social workers and nurse navigators who can lead patients to a wealth of resources. Whether through nonprofit organizations, online resources or oncology referrals, there are significant options that can help address a patients’ mental health.
Mental Health Services include:
Addressing mental health concerns will save lives. A 2020 study of 55,000 veterans with lung cancer showed that participating in a mental health treatment program was associated with 20%-25% lower risk of dying from cancer.
It is imperative that we recognize the pervasiveness of mental illness amongst cancer patients and the devastating toll it can take when left unaddressed. Creating clear pathways to emotional support for patients is increasingly important. There are abundant resources out there – our focus must be building awareness so cancer patients know they are available.
New Day provides a broad spectrum of emotional support services to cancer patients, caregivers and family members, from providing a listening ear to partnering with licensed therapists. Our panel of pre-screened, licensed therapists have a desire to serve individuals and families walking through the cancer journey.
See a video by Jenny Moeller, New Day Foundation Emotional Support Coordinator
May is Mental Health Awareness Month
Cancer can both intensify and exacerbate mental illnesses like depression and anxiety. The psychological stress of the diagnosis itself, the possibility of facing death and the intense strain that treatment places on relationships can all exacerbate symptoms. Pair this potent combination with increased financial stress – often due to the patient’s loss of income during treatment – and you’ve got the perfect environment for mental illness to flourish.
Mental illness refers to a wide range of diagnosable health conditions—disorders of thinking, emotion, or behavior—that significantly interfere with a person’s ability to function, work, and maintain relationships.
Ironically, the mental illness that can develop in the shadow of cancer is also going to be the thing most counterproductive to creating effective treatment outcomes for patients. Mental illness can be deadly for cancer patients. Motivating oneself to maintain compliance with treatment, get regular exercise or lead a healthy lifestyle becomes increasingly difficult when a patient is dealing with unmanaged depression or anxiety.
And we’re talking about some staggering numbers:
– One third of cancer patients are struggling with mental illness.
– Mortality rates are up to 39% higher among cancer patients with depression compared to those without mental illness.
What’s the good news?
There are plenty of mental health resources available in the cancer care space, but patients will often need to advocate for themselves to find and take advantage of them. Most oncologists are not able to devote the time to both the physical and mental aspects of care; it’s the hospital social workers and nurse navigators who can lead patients to a wealth of resources. Whether through nonprofit organizations, online resources or oncology referrals, there are significant options that can help address a patients’ mental health.
Mental Health Services include:
Addressing mental health concerns will save lives. A 2020 study of 55,000 veterans with lung cancer showed that participating in a mental health treatment program was associated with 20%-25% lower risk of dying from cancer.
It is imperative that we recognize the pervasiveness of mental illness amongst cancer patients and the devastating toll it can take when left unaddressed. Creating clear pathways to emotional support for patients is increasingly important. There are abundant resources out there – our focus must be building awareness so cancer patients know they are available.
New Day provides a broad spectrum of emotional support services to cancer patients, caregivers and family members, from providing a listening ear to partnering with licensed therapists. Our panel of pre-screened, licensed therapists have a desire to serve individuals and families walking through the cancer journey.
See a video by Jenny Moeller, New Day Foundation Emotional Support Coordinator