The importance of psychological support in the face of breast cancer
Here's how psychological intervention helps people with breast cancer.
When you hear the words "cancer" and "it's bad" it's like a bucket of cold water. You don't even know how to act, you don't react, the doctor talks and talks and you don't understand anything. (M.J., breast Cancer survivor).
This is what a breast cancer survivor told me when I decided to document myself on the subject by interviewing people who have suffered it first hand.
Breast cancer is the second most prevalent type of cancer, especially in women.especially in women. In Spain alone, more than 33,000 cases are diagnosed each year (Aecc data 2019).
Fortunately, the data on survival are getting better and better. In fact, according to Aecc data, if detected in its early stage, the chances of cure are 100%. At this stage we have a great responsibility for our health: to have the appropriate check-ups every year.
This type of cancer can be detected long before any symptoms appear: a mammogram, for example, can detect abnormalities up to two years before they are palpable.
In this article I would like to talk about the psychological impact of breast cancer, both for those who are ill (talking about the psychological impact of breast cancer) and those who are not.I will speak in feminine since most of the patients are women) as well as for the family members and/or caregivers.
The psychological consequences of breast cancer
Following my conversations with survivors and relatives of people with cancer I will differentiate three key moments: diagnosis, treatment and post-treatment.
Diagnostic phase
From the moment an abnormality has been detected, you are on cloud nine. A lot of tests and some of them are very unpleasant. Half the time we don't know what they are for and we don't even know how to pronounce them, but we go to all of them to see if someone gives you information or you see some gesture in someone that gives you a clue, but nothing. You just get them done and go home..
In these first moments, before the diagnosis, uncertainty and fear already appear.. Rumination, worries, negative thoughts, anticipations... appear. However, at this moment they are mixed with the hope that in the end everything remains a scare.
Hope is a very powerful emotion that can protect and give determination to be able to withstand all the trials.
At the moment when the diagnosis of breast cancer is confirmed, the feeling is one of panic. (as expressed at the beginning of this article).
Panic is a very intense feeling of anxiety at a given moment. A sense of terror, in this case, in the face of potential danger, since the word "cancer" is closely associated with the word "death". is closely associated with the word "death" (with all that it entails) (with all that it entails) even though there is no certainty as to whether it will occur or not.
What are the symptoms of a panic attack?
The main symptoms associated with panic attacks are the following. are the following.
- Tachycardia: the heart begins to beat very hard.
- Pain in the chest or stomach
- Difficulty breathing, hyperventilation
- Feeling of muscle weakness or dizziness
- Sweating
- Warmth or chills
- Tingling or numbness of the hands
- Feeling of unreality, dissociation
The doctor will most likely be explaining important issues of diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment, while the woman is in this panic episode unable to listen.. He cannot listen or pay attention because all his attention is focused on the word "death" and pain.
- Related article, "What is fear for?"
Why is it important to seek psychological help at this time?
It is important to prevent psychological sequels and to be able to obtain a good attitude with which to confront the treatment and post treatment in the best possible way.
The following areas should be worked on at this time:
- Reducing the search for information in the wrong places such as internet search engines.
- Coping: the patient's capacity for resilience.
- Tolerance to uncertainty
- Emotional management, especially of anxiety and fear.
- Work on negative thoughts and cognitive errors.
- Strengthening the support network
Treatment phase
During the treatment phase, obvious physical changes such as hair loss begin to occur. However, despite the initial shock, the treatment is so harsh that it leaves little time for thinking..
The psychologist's work at this stage is fundamentally supportive. In this sense, the most important functions carried out by the psychologist are the following:
- Keeping the patient focused on the goal: overcoming the disease.
- Work on positive attitude and motivation for better adherence to treatment.
- Creation and/or maintenance of basic healthy habits such as sleep hygiene, proper nutrition or personal hygiene.
- Emotional management of "lows".
- Management of negative thoughts and thinking errors such as catastrophism.
Post-treatment phase
When the treatment is over, it is a very desolate moment in which you are left helpless and with the feeling that you are going to have another one at any time and in any place. From then on, everything that happens to you: a sore knee, a cold or a simple headache due to atmospheric changes, the word 'cancer' rings in our mind..
As I said earlier, in the treatment phase most women focus on chemotherapy, radiation therapy or whatever treatment you have been prescribed, getting to and from the hospital and the discomfort caused by the drugs.
You are so focused on the physical discomfort that you don't have time to think about anything else..
Once the treatment is finished is when the patient starts to notice the after-effects:
- Hair loss all over the body, especially the most visible: head, eyelashes and eyebrows.
- Weakening of the nails (they may turn purple and fall off).
- Thinner and more sensitive skin
- Removal of one or two breasts: scarring, physical change
- Arm mobility problems and loss of strength following lymphadenectomy and/or reconstruction
- Pain from the grafts
- Possible lymphedema (swelling of the arm due to fluid accumulation)
- Lifestyle changes due to having to be constantly aware of avoiding wounds, sudden changes in temperature, burns, stings and punctures.
- Other
These are some of the sequelae that have been referred to me in the interviews. Depending on the woman, all, some or different ones may appear.. If you have gone through or are going through this process it would be very helpful to me (and other women) if you could leave a comment with the after-effects you have experienced.
Tips for a better psychological coping with breast cancer
These are the main tips to keep in mind in this kind of situation.
- Seek appropriate information: do not use Internet search engines. Instead, talk to doctors, psychologists, cancer associations or support groups.
- Eliminate the pressure of having to "be strong": give yourself permission to cry, be angry, communicate your fears, worries and ask for help.
- Normalize emotions: fear, anxiety, anguish, sadness are normal emotions in this type of situation.
- To have good habits: to take care of the feeding, to respect the schedules of sleep and rest, to make soft exercise as for example to walk.
- Continue with pleasant activities or take the opportunity to start an activity that entertains and evades such as painting, handicrafts, sewing, reading...
- Do not move away from the social circle.
- Do not let the disease be the center of your life: it is important to remember that "You are not sick, but you are sick, which is different". A good attitude is very important to keep your strength and overcome cancer.
- Practice Mindfulness or meditation: they will help you to exercise your attention, stay in the present moment, and not get "hooked" to your negative thoughts or constant worry about the future.
(Updated at Apr 12 / 2024)