From the DFCI/NCCN Cancer Survivorship Information
TM
Just as cancer treatment can cause changes to your body, it can also affect your feelings and emotions. Although coming off treatment is a time for joy and celebration, it is also very normal to feel scared, angry, tense, or sad. For most survivors, these feelings become more manageable over time or disappear entirely. For others, these painful emotions don’t go away and can get in the way of everyday life.
Depression is different from feeling down for a day or two, and anxiety isn’t the same as feeling stressed-out. They are both real illnesses that cause symptoms in body and mind.
Some of the signs and symptoms of depression include:
- sleeping too much or too little
- low energy
- feeling irritable
- mood swings
- crying a lot
- having trouble concentrating
- withdrawing from friends and family
- feeling hopeless
- feeling guilty
- feeling angry
- not being interested in things you used to enjoy
Some of the emotional signs of anxiety include:
- excessive fear or worry
- feelings of dread
- having trouble concentrating
- feeling tense and jumpy
- anticipating the worst
- feeling irritable
- feeling restless
- watching out for signs of danger
- feeling like your mind’s gone blank
Anxiety can be more than a feeling in your mind. It often causes a lot of physical symptoms, too. These include:
- pounding heart
- sweating
- dizziness
- shortness of breath
- muscle tension
- headaches
- fatigue
- insomnia
Getting Help for Depression or Anxiety
Even the most serious cases of depression or anxiety are treatable. As with most other illnesses, the earlier treatment begins, the better. Start by talking to your doctor or health care team. They may treat it themselves or refer you to a mental health expert.
The most common ways of helping people with depression or anxiety are:
Therapy
Some survivors with depression or anxiety find that it helps to talk to a mental health professional. Many survivors get help from therapists who specialize in treating depression and helping people recovering from cancer. A therapist can also help you decide what sort of treatment may be best.
Antidepressants or Anti-Anxiety Medicines
A lot of people with depression or anxiety have too much or too little of certain chemicals in the brain. Antidepressant and anti-anxiety medicines help balance the levels of these chemicals.
Combination of Treatment and Therapy
For many survivors with depression or anxiety, talking to a health professional and taking antidepressant or anti-anxiety medications works well.
Anxiety or Depression?
Sometimes a person who has problems with anxiety may also experience depression. Because both conditions are caused by too many or too few of certain chemicals in the brain, they sometimes go hand in hand. Depression can make anxiety worse – and vice-versa – so it may be important to be treated for both.
Remember, you don’t have to live with anxiety or depression. Neither one is “all in your head,” and it is nothing to feel ashamed of. They are real illnesses, and they are very treatable.