Mental Health
Cancer Patients Often Don’t Seek Mental Health Help
I recently signed up for networking blogging about Cancer to try it out, and have been checking headlines about cancer. Recently (November 2005), the American Cancer Society announced the results of a study of 251 patients with advanced cancer and a low awareness of mental disorders that accompanied cancer. Living and coping with cancer is life-changing, and with serious illnesses, can make one vulnerable to depression and other mental illnesses. The numbers of cancer patients who were diagnosed with mental illnesses were low in the study, but what is worrisome is that more than half of those who were diagnosed did not seek help for their mental illness.
Although cancer is a daunting illness to live with and survive from, patients’ attitudes and outlook can play a huge factor in their qualities of life and even their prognosis (although science has yet to adequately study this). Other studies have also shown that patients with cardiovascular events like heart attacks are prone to depression, so cancer patients aren’t alone. Therefore it is very important for critically ill patients - including cancer patients - to be as vigilant about their mental health as they are about their physical health when approaching their disease treatment. Source: American Cancer Society
All information in Jane's Mental Health Source Page website is for your information and education. The information does not replace or substitute for professional medical treatment or for professional medical advice relative to a specific medical question or condition.
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