Triple Negative Breast Cancer
Mental Health
Receiving a cancer diagnosis can be overwhelming. It’s important to be aware of the impact that cancer and treatments can have on your mental health. Research has shown these effects may be short and/or long term. Knowing this can help you monitor and care for your mental health before, during and after treatment.
Your mental health is as important as your physical health and these concerns don’t always stop after treatment ends. Emotions can come up months or even years later. As you learn about some of the mental health issues you may encounter, take the suggestions for managing them to heart. Allow yourself to nurture your well-being and express your feelings freely. Being emotionally healthy will help you better cope with cancer-related issues. Keep in mind that what has been important to you, or not so important may change. You don’t want to sweat the small stuff anymore.
tart by talking with a member of your health care team about mental health. They are trained to help you find the resources you need. Consider reaching out for support from a therapist, mental health professional, a good friend or a spiritual advisor, or ask your health care provider for a referral.
Common Emotions
Following are some emotions that may affect your mental health.
Anxiety is often described as feeling nervous, stressed, worried and/or tense. Being anxious may make it difficult to cope with treatment, handle daily life or heal properly after treatment. Explore relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, muscle relaxation, hypnosis, biofeedback and yoga. Ask for a referral to a mental health specialist. Post-traumatic stress disorder is known to occur for some women facing their next mammogram or other tests or scans. This has been nicknamed “scanxiety” and it is normal to feel this way.
Depression is more complex than just feeling sad or hopeless, but these emotions can accompany it, along with feelings of panic, helplessness and discouragement. Depression can also result from low hormones, a chemical imbalance in the brain, uncontrolled pain and other unrelieved symptoms. It can range from mild to severe. Contact your health care provider about excessive crying, continued feelings of hopelessness or despair. Get immediate medical attention for thoughts of suicide or death.
Fear is a common reaction to finding out you have cancer. It is also a normal side effect of going through treatment. Fears associated with treatment include not knowing what to expect, pain or other treatment-related side effects during or after treatment, inability to do daily activities while in treatment, a change in appearance (hair loss or scars), fertility issues or sexuality challenges. One of the ways to combat fear is to learn as much as you can about your cancer and your treatment.
Grief is the feeling of distress or sorrow due to the loss of something. It is normal to grieve the loss of your health, your appearance or your ideas of what your future would be without cancer. Allow yourself to feel a full range of emotions. Ask your friends and family for support.
Loneliness is a feeling of being alone and isolated from others. People who have cancer often feel alone or alienated from others for several reasons. You may feel your diagnosis prevents you from living the life you once had or that other people don’t understand what you’re going through. It may be helpful to talk to others who have the same type of cancer as you. Contact a member of your faith or spiritual community.
Sexual Health and Intimacy Concerns
The physical changes from treatment can affect your self-esteem, body image, sexual health and desirability. All of these feelings are completely normal, and you must address them for the sake of your mental health.
Prepare for changes to your sexual health. You may face post-treatment sexual difficulties, such as a decreased sex drive, vaginal dryness, the inability to achieve or maintain arousal, loss of sensation, pain during intercourse, the delay or absence of orgasm or feeling less desirable. A variety of products, such as vaginal dilators, lubricants and moisturizers, and resources, such as a referral for pelvic floor rehabilitation, can offer relief. Medications, exercise and meditation may also be helpful.
It is important to recognize the effect that physical changes from treatment can have on your self-esteem and body image. Treatments may leave scars, discoloration of the skin, hair loss, lymphedema and other conditions. These can affect your mood, self-image and how you feel about your sexual self.
Physical changes may make you feel insecure, causing intimacy to be challenging. Cancer-related fatigue and/or depression may also reduce your sex drive. Premature menopause – a side effect of some treatments – can disrupt your hormones, causing more side effects. Be honest about your feelings with your partner. Explore ways to be intimate other than intercourse.
Do not be afraid to discuss sexual health issues with your health care provider, a therapist who works with people who have cancer or other cancer survivors who have many of the same questions and fears as you do.
