Kim Penberthy of the University of Virginia says treatment for cancer can be just as challenging for a patient’s mental health as the diagnosis.
“Mental health challenges can create the cycle with the stress and things like impacting your sleep, that then weaken the immune system,” Penberthy said.
She is a health psychologist at UVA and says new patients dealing with stress after a cancer diagnosis may experience physical problems as well.
“Sometimes the treatment is just as challenging as the diagnosis,” Penberthy said.
She said that new patients should reach out to their doctors for tools to deal with the diagnosis.
“It is important if you are struggling with the stress, depression, anxiety, to address that through some treatment, because it will help everything work better,” Penberthy said.
She also says patients should lean on their loved ones for support.
“That’s what it’s all about is getting you better back on your feet,” she said.
As a loved one, you can’t change it or fix it for them, but you can offer your presence, Penberthy added.
“It’s nice to be positive,” she said, “but I think that can feel dismissive sometimes to people.”
She says to avoid platitudes and giving unsolicited advice and to ask open-ended questions or offer support with their daily tasks instead.
“Sometimes people need someone to go with them to their appointments, sometimes they need someone to stay back home and feed the animals or watch the kids,” she said.
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