Cancer is the uncontrollable growth of abnormal cells in the body. The cancer cells are also called malignant cells. Cancerous cells grow out of normal cells in the body system. As and when the increases in the cells are required, they naturally start multiplying.

These deadly cancer cells appear to occur when the growth of cells in the body gets out-of-control and cancerous cells multiply rapidly. It can also appear when the cells forget how to die naturally and thereby disturbing the cycle. Mental health has a very big impact on woman when they are affected with cancer.

What are the cancer preventions?

 Women could undergo routine screening and checkup tests such as sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy, mammograms, and pap smears. Most of the treatments and methods are aimed at stopping the death of the patient.

A woman in risk of developing cancer is affected due to her lifestyle and dietary choices. In addition to not smoking, cancer research institute recommends the following dietary habits to decrease the risk of cancer in women: 

• Consuming a diet consisting mostly of plant based foods, with a wide variety of fruits and vegetables.
• Reduce red meat consumption and fatty foods. If taken, limit the red meat to less than three medium size pieces per day and choose vegetable oil over animal fats.
• Minimize the salt intake.
• Stop alcohol intake or limit it to one drink a day.
• Avoiding charred food that is burnt on the grill.
• Maintaining a healthy weight by exercising everyday.
• Mental health functioning should be checked because your psychological state affects your health which could lead to cancer.

How is mental health and cancer related if?

Cancer is a serious disease which can significantly impact the physical and mental health of a person. The physical pain which comes with cancer is usually the biggest factor that negatively affects cancer person’s quality of life. Pain often limits a person’s ability to engage in normal daily activities like cooking, bathing, dressing, and other daily activities.

 There is an increased rate of depression in patients with cancer when compared with any other mental health illnesses.

 Typically twenty percent of patients with cancer will have either major depression or some other depressive symptoms like being unable to sleep or excessive sleeping, feeling drained and weak, feeling the lack of skills and discomfort, altered appetite, self hate and guilt, lack of focus, foggy thinking, lower confidence with decision-making, unnecessary excitement, restlessness, and irritability. Other symptoms are inactivity and detachment from typically pleasurable activities, feeling of helplessness and hopelessness, thoughts of death or even contemplating suicide.

 Cancers of the mouth and throat, pancreas, breast and lung cancer are more commonly associated with depression when compared with the other forms of cancer.

 Since depression and cancer share similar symptoms such as fatigue, weight, depression and appetite alteration, it often remains poorly diagnosed in cancer patients. Quickly treating the depression is very important as studies have shown that there are health implications which can be caused from lack of depression treatment.

 Absence of treatment for depression can lead to social withdrawal and negligence of self care. In severe cases suicidal tendencies are commonly noticed. Moreover, some studies show that breast cancer patients who are depressed have a decreased rate of survival.

 Breast Cancer:

 Woman with breast cancer have increased risk of developing depression. Depending on the type of cancer, the women might be able to choose between radical mastectomy which is complete removal of the breast and lumpectomy which is the removal of cancerous part of the breast tissue only. The rate of depression level is low if they themselves choose a mastectomy procedure rather than a medical person suggesting it.

 Treatments:

 The essential means to minimize the challenges of diagnosing and treating depression in cancer patients is to combine mental health care and oncology services in the same medical facility.

 It is quite obvious that the best treatment results can be derived when the psychological care and services are made available to the patient from the same or a nearby location. You might want to check the facilities provided by your mental health professional before hiring their services.

Cancer Prevention and Psychological Impact is a post from: Mental Health