I have cancer – what do I need a psychologist for?

Authors: Antonija Vrdoljak, Master of Psychology; Vanja Putarek, PhD, Master of Psychology

A cancer diagnosis is often associated with unpleasant emotions such as fear, sadness, stress, and anger. This is understandable, given that a person is facing a major challenge that can affect various aspects of their life. Therefore, it is expected that the focus of the individual, their family, and the medical team will be on cancer treatment and alleviating the physical symptoms of the disease. However, psychological difficulties are often overlooked, which can make it difficult to accept the diagnosis, cope with the treatment and prognosis, relate to loved ones, and adjust to life after cancer. Despite the numerous benefits, the majority of cancer patients do not receive any type of psychological treatment.

Research results show that the main obstacle for cancer patients to engaging in psychotherapy is a negative attitude toward this type of treatment. In our society, there is still a very strong stigma against seeking professional help to deal with psychological problems – it is believed that a person who seeks help is weak, oversensitive, or “crazy.” The negative attitude of the community leads to a sense of shame in those affected and prevents them from taking the necessary steps to make it easier to cope with the challenging situation. In these difficult moments, a person may begin to feel isolated and lonely, as if there is something wrong with them and as if they are the only one who feels this way. However, the data says otherwise. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one in four people will suffer from some form of mental disorder during their lifetime. They are not uncommon, and a person who goes to a psychotherapist is not crazy, but is concerned about all aspects of their health and trying to find ways to cope with difficult situations in the best possible way. The mental difficulties or disorders that a person experiences when facing an oncological disease can be of varying intensity and duration and do not show, in layman's terms, that the person is crazy, but that they need professional support to learn strategies for coping with their emotions and thoughts (e.g. worries, catastrophizing).

In addition to society's condemnation, cancer patients often have the same prejudices themselves, and mental health is neglected and considered less important than physical health. Since anxiety and depression are frequent "companions" of cancer diagnoses, we can also hear opinions that "that's just the way it is", that "it's normal to feel bad when you have cancer" and that "there's nothing you can do about it", that you just need to "be strong until it passes". The fact that fighting cancer is mentally difficult does not mean that certain steps cannot or should not be taken, such as seeking professional help, to make it easier. Attempts to ignore fear, sadness, anger, frustration or guilt will not make them disappear, but will rather intensify them and last longer.

Although psychotherapy cannot cure cancer, it can provide the person with "psychological tools", help them to manage their emotions more effectively, that is, to learn to recognize, accept and sometimes even alleviate their emotions. Talking to mental health professionals can reduce anxiety and depression in cancer patients, reduce fear of treatment (e.g. fear of needles during chemotherapy or fear of entering the tube of the device during an MRI scan), and greatly improve the quality of life of patients and their family members. In psychotherapy, a person can discuss numerous questions that arise ("How to explain the diagnosis to loved ones or children?", "How to motivate yourself to follow the doctor's advice?", "How to be supportive of a loved one who is sick?"...), with an educated professional who provides support, care, and assistance. Therapy is a place where a person can openly talk about their fears, but also develop their positive sides and potential. Therefore, taking care of their psychological state is an important part of the cancer treatment process, and psychiatrists, psychologists, and other mental health professionals are regular members of oncology teams at the world's leading cancer research and treatment institutes.

People often think that their problems are not big and serious enough and that they should deal with them alone, that their emotions are solely their responsibility. However, psychotherapy is not the same as giving up responsibility and handing over responsibility to the therapist. On the contrary, the person in therapy makes an effort and works on themselves and actively participates in their recovery. Psychotherapists cannot “magically” solve our problems, but they guide and support us in working on our mental health so that we can ultimately help ourselves.

Finally, one of the obstacles to starting psychological treatment is not knowing, for example, how to contact a therapist, what happens in therapy, what exactly the therapist does. The first visit to a therapist can be arranged by phone or email, and in some cases psychotherapy is also covered by health insurance (it is useful to ask your oncologist or general practitioner). During the first meetings, the psychotherapist tries to get to know the client well, explore his or her situation and find out what challenges the person wants to face. It is not easy to open up to a stranger, but it is important to be honest when talking to a therapist. Knowing that psychotherapists are required to keep the details of the therapeutic conversation to themselves can also help you in opening up.

At the beginning of the therapeutic process, after meeting the therapist, the goals you will work on are usually determined (i.e. you determine what you would like to achieve through therapy and what you would like to work on). During therapy, the psychotherapist will use various techniques to improve insight into your thoughts and feelings and change your behavior. You get to know each other and the therapist adapts to you, or your specific situation, characteristics and needs. The duration of therapy depends on the difficulties being worked on, as well as on the involvement and motivation of the person themselves to work on these difficulties. However, a large number of clients report feeling relief after the first meeting because they were able to talk openly with someone about things that bother them and that they thought they could not share with other people.

Also, one therapist, or one psychotherapy approach, does not suit everyone. If you don't manage to "click" with your therapist on the first try, don't give up because psychotherapy brings positive results and continuously helps you cope with difficulties!

References:

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4082441/ 2. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/ecc.13165 3. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-basics/attitudes-and-cancer.html

Continue reading: Mindfulness and cancer - how to help the immune system fight the disease?

Need more information about this topic? Contact us.