Cancer survivors often left feeling depressed, reveals new book
A new book written by psychologist Dr Frances Goodhart and health journalist Lucy Atkins has revealed that though more people than ever are now surviving cancer, an increasing number of survivors are struggling with life after the disease.
Research has revealed that between 25 and 40 per cent of cancer survivors may experience some form of depression after recovering from the disease.
For some, depression may appear just after treatment but for others it may occur months or even years after.
The authors of the book (The Cancer Survivor’s Companion, published by Piatkus) believe that mood may plummet as a result of going through such a difficult physical and emotional experience and it understandably takes time to recover from that. However, they also say that expectations of life after cancer can play a huge role.
Nowadays many individuals who survive cancer tell themselves that they will live life to the fullest, making plans of all the things they want to do and achieve once they have been given the all clear. However, pressure to constantly make the most of life can become really overwhelming and can leave survivors feeling confused and very low.
In addition, the body may still be suffering physically after cancer and will take some time to recover. Survivors often struggle with mobility, pain, discomfort, swelling and generally their strength and fitness will have taken a hit. Feeling physically run down can become frustrating, preventing survivors from doing things they really want to do and making it difficult to muster up motivation.
Expectations for survivors to be all systems go as soon as they step out of the hospital are putting unnecessary pressure on those who really just need time to recover and let themselves feel the way they need to feel for a while.
If you are feeling depressed then simply making some simple lifestyle changes such as eating a healthy diet and making an effort with your appearance could help you to feel more confident.
Those who are struggling with low mood or depression may benefit from alternative and complementary therapies which are both drug and side effect free. Hypnotherapy has long since been hailed as a fantastic way to relieve depression and stress so could be really beneficial for a cancer survivor. To find out more visit our hypnotherapy fact-sheets on stress and depression for information about how it may be able to help you.
View the original Daily Mail article.