Psychological aspects of cancer and cancer treatment
The guidance has so far looked at the physical aspects of having cancer. What it is, how it feels physically and what side effects the treatment has. This part of the guidance does not attempt to describe how it feels emotionally to have cancer, but does describe some commonly reported anxieties and experiences. These include drugs and procedures that may affect mood and what factors might predispose to psychological problems during cancer treatment and when these problems are most likely to surface along the cancer treatment journey. The aim of the guidance is to highlight psychological effects of cancer and to ensure any mental health effects of cancer are considered. The Anxiety Disorders guidance and Depressive Illness guidance should be consulted when relevant.
Coping with cancer
The experience of cancer inevitably includes personally important events involving uncertainty, the possibility of loss, or actual losses. The person has to cope with these stressful life events, and to adjust to their consequences. Coming to terms with problems and learning to live with them, without experiencing excessive distress, is known as adjustment. The process of adjustment commonly involves distress; the relationship between adjustment, distress and mental disorders is illustrated below in ‘the distress continuum’. If distress is prolonged or in excess of what most people experience, it can be categorised as a mental disorder. The most common form of this is an adjustment disorder, which is a state of subjective distress and emotional disturbance, usually interfering with social functioning and performance. Adjustment disorders, by definition, last no longer than 6 months. If the individual’s distress is more prolonged, this is most likely to be due to a depressive disorder or an anxiety disorder.
The distress continuum
Appropriate distress ? ? Increasing distress ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
|----------------------------|------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------|
| Normal Adjustment | Adjustment disorders | Sub threshold tomental disorders | Diagnosable major mental disorders (e.g.depression) |
