The Psychological Side of Cancer in Women

Probably one of the most devastating news an average woman will ever hear in her entire lifetime is that she has been diagnosed with cancer. Women, for example, who have been diagnosed with breast cancer will have an overwhelming mixture of feelings. She will feel frustrated, depressed, fearful, and a whole lot more, especially because the breasts are that one thing that makes a women feel like she’s a real woman. Add to that the dread a woman will feel about the effects of the cancer, the treatment she has to go through, and whether or not she will live a lot longer than most other cancer patients. Obviously, the psychological effects are also very overwhelming as pain and psychology always go hand in hand. Below is a look at the psychological effects a cancer brings a woman:

Feeling Anxious

After the cancer diagnosis, women will be normally worried and anxious about what will happen next. The American Psychological Association reports that while many women may be prepared to hear the news because of high risk factors, a large majority of women are shocked about the news and eventually become anxious about how the cancer will affect their lives. Consequently, the presence of anxiety in the relationship will bring about more pressure. It is given that other people surrounding the woman will treat the person differently. The anxiety will trigger other emotions such as the tendency for the woman to withdraw socially, refuse to do her daily activities, and eat very poorly. With sleep being greatly interrupted, other women may even develop unhealthy habits such as drinking, smoking, and taking drugs. Professional counseling will be helpful for the patient in this regard.

Feeling Depressed

After a cancer diagnosis and all throughout the duration of the disease, one of the most expected feelings a woman will have is the feeling of depression. She will most likely feel very sad and feel hopeless about the whole situation. This will lead to a major disruption in the everyday life of the patient, affecting her relationships with everyone around her and even her ability to relax and pamper herself. Women with cancer cope more easily by going through psychotherapy and counseling, where they will get trained help and have a safe environment where they can express all their feelings of depression and anger and anxiety and be able to learn how to deal with them.

Feeling of Exhaustion

Everything about cancer will add pressure to the woman patient—the pain, the shock, the treatment, the surgery, and the stress. Although people will have varying degree of tolerance or threshold for pain, most women with cancer will experience a great deal of pain with the cancer. Add to that the fatigue and stress that the chemotherapy treatment and surgery brings. Again, counseling and psychotherapy should help prepare a patient to deal with all the elements that bring about exhaustion before it leads to more serious complications.

About the Author

Abortion Clinic Orlando. Dr. James S. Pendergraft opened the Abortion Clinic Tampa in March 1996 to provide a full range of health care for women, including abortion clinics in orlando.