Psychological effects
Psychological effects of some anti-cancer drugs
- Steroids may cause mania and/or psychosis. Some people may feel jittery and be unable to sleep.
- Platinum based drugs such as Cisplatin and high dose Alpha Interferon can affect mood and cognition. These effects resolve when the drug is stopped.
- The physical side effects of chemotherapy such as hair loss and infertility may cause depression. Hair grows back when chemotherapy finishes but fertility may never return.
Psychological effects of permanent changes in appearance
A permanently altered appearance particularly a difficult to disguise disfigurement may be an additional problem that someone who has had cancer treatment needs to deal with. A small scar is easy for most to adapt to; greater changes in appearance require greater adaptation. The obvious example of this is facial disfigurement following surgery for tumours of the head and neck. In this case a person may have recovered well from the physical effects of treatment but be unable to carry out tasks or return to work because of anxiety about their altered appearance and other people looking at them; care and mobility needs may arise for this reason.
Other examples of cancer related problems that may be difficult for some to adapt to include:
- Managing a stoma of any kind (smells/noises/leaks/appearance).
- After mastectomy (appearance).
- After laryngectomy (removal of the voice box) problems may include inability to speak at all, abnormal or artificial sounding speech, increased effort of speech.
- Abnormal pigmentation or hair loss after radiotherapy to the head and neck (appearance).
- Limb amputation (appearance and function).
- Wounds or lesions that smell (smells/appearance).
- Lymphoedema.
Many people successfully adapt to difficult problems and clearly some types of stoma or amputation are easier to manage than others. Whether distress or psychological problems arise will depend on the difficulty of the problem faced, a person’s ability to adapt and the support they receive. Any scar may cause changes in body image, sexual feelings and desire or self confidence. Ongoing problems in any of these areas may result in mental health problems or adjustment disorder.
Amended November 2009
