Events such as May’s Mental Health Awareness Month give us an opportunity to recognize the important connection between our mental health and physical health. Living with mesothelioma can be both physically and mentally challenging.
This month’s top tip for mesothelioma patients is to remember that “it’s okay to not be okay.” And just because it’s normal to experience mental health symptoms with mesothelioma, you don’t have to simply put up with it.
When you or a loved one is dealing with a mesothelioma diagnosis, it’s common to experience emotions such as sadness, fear, anger, numbness, and anxiety. Telling yourself, “It’s okay to not be okay” reminds you that it’s okay to ask for help.
Over the past 50 years, great advances have been made in mental health awareness, social acceptance, and treatment. Mental health symptoms can be treated with medication, counseling, or both, and can make positive changes to your quality of life.
How can people with mesothelioma cope with their mental health symptoms?
If your negative emotions are uncontrollable or persistent, talk to your mesothelioma oncologist who will refer you to a counselor who specializes in cancer treatment. Your oncologist may prescribe medication to reduce symptoms of depression or anxiety or to manage sleep problems. Your oncologist may also refer you to a psychiatrist who can prescribe medication.
Research has shown that peer support can be helpful when mesothelioma patients are feeling anxious or depressed. Each month, our Mesothelioma Support Group provides an opportunity for mesothelioma survivors and caregivers to connect and support each other.
Joining a support group isn’t a substitute for individualized mental health care, but connecting with other mesothelioma patients and caregivers who are experiencing similar feelings can help you feel less alone.
mental health webinar
Recently, we hosted a webinar on common mental health challenges experienced by mesothelioma patients, where survivors shared their honest experiences of facing emotional difficulties following their diagnosis.
During the webinar, Tamron Little, a survivor of peritoneal mesothelioma, spoke about her experience with depression, which she said wasn’t what she expected it to feel like.
“When you watch movies and commercials, people assume that if you’re depressed, you’re depressed,” Tamron says. “But even high-functioning people can have depression.”
Anxiety and depression are not only common symptoms in cancer patients, they are also the most commonly reported mental health issues. Thirty-five percent of U.S. adults report symptoms consistent with a diagnosis of depression or anxiety disorder. It’s important to remember that treatment is highly effective and more accessible than ever before.
